Could this be the beginning of something?

 Somebody's getting frisky!

There's been lots of stuff both in meatspace and cyberspace over the last 30-40 years on how easy it is to disrupt power distribution.  With most substations not monitored or guarded, and usually in rural/secluded areas, it can be easy for those inclined and just a modicum of hunting ability to disrupt the operations.

I'm just wondering if this can be misdirection, to divert our attention from sneaker and more nefarious actions which could be starting.

Hopefully we'll soon see, and not being the target...

Some half-baked thoughts on Saturday morning

 So am at work at a convention site this morning, and been idly perusing the blogosphere as well as my usual news sites.

Over at Kenny's blog, he reposted BCE's update on the battle to get his granddaughter back from her beyond loser parental objects.  (These idjits are so bad I cannot call them parents or even people!)  I was able to shake loose some money to send off, but they still need lots more as good legal help isn't cheap, as well as the various sundry expenses on setting up a temporary place to live.  Click here to donate if you are able to do so.

Speaking of Big Country, his original blog got nuked from orbit, so he is back up for the time being at this link.  He's also got another blog here which will be his main site once he gets things ironed out.  I'll be updating his link on the sidebar later today if I'm not too busy.

Meanwhile, Peter and Miss D are enroute to my neck of the woods to attend a convention this coming week.  I wish them safe travels and am hoping we would be able to cross paths, but given their schedule and with mine, it is not very likely.  If it happens, it happens...

And in what seems like another repeat of 2020, it's down to another runoff election in Georgia to determine which party is going to have control of the Senate.  I am somewhat thankful that I never decided to get into politics, otherwise I couldn't really live with myself.  I could go on about that whole mess, but am trying to avoid messing with my brain too much this early in the morning...

As for my personal situation, I am just taking things one day at a time.  With convention season cranking back up again, I hope to be busy and making enough money to get a handle on things.

So, working here, short break, then back at my usual location for the shows tonight.  be around 2300 when I get home, then getting up at 0500 again to cover another event tomorrow.  Oh well, it pays the bills.

Some possible hijinks on election day?

 Just came across this in the R-J:

DOJ sending election monitors to Nevada

Makes you wonder...

Another election is upon us

 Tomorrow is Election Day here in the US, and as usual the propaganda is flying back and forth on both sides.  Just am glad it will be over with tomorrow...the nonsense ads at least.

Since Nevada sends out mail ballots to every registered voter (including those voting the graveyard), I am looking forward to how things stack up this time around.

And just sayin', Powerball jackpot is near $2 billion for tonight's drawing ;-)

The disturbing secret behind 'Drag Queen Story Hour' at your local library (via Peter)

 Check this out, especially if you have kids or grandkids!

While I am pretty open and tolerant about people having the right to love and have a physical relationship with whomever they desire, there are lines which should NEVER be crossed.  Forcing this particular ideology down the throats of regular families in general and the children in particular is abhorrent and totally wrong.

I do not care if you want to do this, but you must respect the right for others to raise their children as they see fit, and should those kids grow up and decide to explore that lifestyle, then once they reach age of consent they can do so as they would have a better idea of their own identity.  But to force this on pre-schoolers who often say their a cat, or a dog, or a dinosaur (often in one day!), let alone saying their a girl one day and a boy the next, or vice-versa, is just plain wrong.

Those that force this on the kids are just asking for a beat-down at the very least...just sayin'

Again, please read the info Peter presents, and be better aware.  Knowledge is definitely power.

Downtime Monday

 After my marathon shifts last week, was time to take things a little easy and address things around the house.  With little help from one of the roommates, got the discone antenna mounted in place of the old DirecTV dish on the outside and the coax ran over to where the entry point will be.

Next phase: install the ground rod and lighting arrestor on the feedline.  I'd put a ticket in to Call 811 so that the various utilities can come mark anything relevant to their lines coming into the house.  Big ones to avoid are the water, sewer, and gas.  My power and cable TV entry points are further away and won't be affected, but I want to make sure before I start hammering an 8 ft ground rod into place.  Just need to wait a few for them to make it out here, so I allowed plenty of lead time.

Will post pics later once I get a chance.

This made me laugh (NSFW)

 Check it out (FYI this link is safe, but other pages on site are definitely NSFW)

The Nordstream pipeline: a very plausible theory of what happened

 Lawdog gives a good and lengthy explanation of a likely hypotheses regarding the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipeline ruptures.  While conspiracy theories abound on other parts of the blogosphere, this is definitely a good example of Occam's Razor.

And given prior anecdotes of how Russians often do maintenance of their vehicles and machinery, it's not too far off the mark.

I'm still keeping an open mind, and looking at alternative explanations.  You never know though...could be aliens😏  

BCE still needs help and support

 As you may have seen in earlier postings, Big Country Expat is still fighting the good fight to get his granddaughter Adriana back into his and his wife's custody from the loser scum parents, so his GiveSendGo campaign is still active and has a new goal to reach.

I'll be trying to kick loose some funds shortly to add to my previous donation, but if any others can shake loose some dinero, moolah, or shekels to bring this nightmare to an end for that little girl, please do so.

Make sure you read the campaign updates, as it shows things are going from retard to potato real fast.

Again, please help if you can do so.

9/11/01...Never forget

 Hard to believe today's been 21 years since the al-Qaida attacks.

From someone that was on the periphery of all that had happened, and went through several days of the surreal and heartbreak, experiencing and watching the horror from afar while trying to keep shit together in my little corner of the whole shebang, it still seems like yesterday to me in some ways.

That was the impetus to want to do more to be able to help others, and eventually took me on a journey that wound up where I am today.

To the families of those lost in NYC, Arlington, and Somerset, as well as the families of those who stepped up to the plate to bring America's vengeance on her enemies and made the ultimate sacrifice for our beloved country, I humbly offer my thanks, my remembrance of those we've lost, and the feverent hope that our warriors' sacrifice shall not be in vain.

Call me an optimist, but I do honestly believe that there is still some hope for our country to rise up again and be strong, despite the wishes of others to bring us down.  Should our country be lost, the world will descend into darkness and despair, from which there may be no escape.

May that moment never happen...

Rumblings from the blogosphere and other matters

 Since things are still hectic with my life, am making the time to try and do some more blog updates to try and re-center myself, or some similar hippy-trippy BS (trust me am not gonna start wearing tie-dye or passing out daisies), but a little bit of Zen couldn't hurt at this point.

There's been a lot of talk about Sleepy Joe's speech essentially calling out conservatives in general, and some MAGA R's in particular, as 'semi-fascist' or some similar crap.  Divemedic spoke of this at length and I've seen similar expressions at other sites.  

Over at Big Country Expat's blog, he's still as entertaining as always, with his own unique view of the world's happenings.  I've recently shared his request for assistance in getting custody of his little granddaughter, and he sent me a message of thanks for helping spread the call for assistance.  I'll be updating my blog list in the sidebar so that we all can keep up to date on his doings.

Meanwhile, over at Peter's blog, he recently posted a new anthology of hunting stories with him, Lawdog and several other notable authors and bloggers contributing.  I'll definitely be checking it out.

Although he is obviously busy with other tasks and hasn't updated his blog recently, Michael Z. Willamson's blog is still worth checking out occasionally, with his latest always showcasing his own take on things, delivered with his iconic style.  Never a dull moment's reading, to be sure.

I've recently acquired some housemates, whom I have known for awhile, and needed a place to stay other then outside in the storm drain (where they had to stay previously for a bit), and so far things have worked out to our mutual benefit.  It has helped me financially, and of course it never hurts to try and help those you know when they're in a tight spot.

As for work, it's been entertaining at times, frustrating at others, but am still enjoying every minute I can.  My current assignment is being the backstage medic for one of the shows on the Las Vegas Strip (for various reasons I can't say specifically which one, but it's a great show), which is keeping things constant for the time being.

As it is now almost midnight, am gonna call it a day and rack out.  Stay safe out there!

A little trip last weekend

 So thanks to one of my work buddies, he, myself, and another friend from work went down to Cali and visited the Los Angeles County Fire Museum for their 50th anniversary celebration of the premier of the 1970's TV series Emergency!

This show has been credited by many as the catalyst for the expansion of emergency medical services (EMS) in the United States and throughout the world as well.  It laid the seeds in me to eventually start my career in EMS after nearly 18 years in the IT field.  Many other people, usually in my generation, also credited the show in inspiring them to work in EMS and/or go into medicine in general as nurses, doctors, and specialists.

Below are some of the photos I have taken at the museum, where the fire engine and rescue squad used in the series are on display, along with many other fire engines and historical pieces.  We also took a trip to LA County Fire Station 127, which was the setting for the fictional 'Station 51' in the series.

Was a very good trip overall, and a nice change of pace.

Meanwhile, keep your powder dry, and watch your 6...

Help to a fellow blogger

 I haven't kept up much with things in the blogosphere, but there has been chatter about an issue that BigCountyExpat needs help with.  Click here to read the details, but you better be ready to be pissed off.

That parents could do that to their own barely 2-year-old daughter is just sickening.  If you all can, please donate so that Adriana can be back where she will be loved and cared for.

Also, feel free to drop by his blog for updates/

China is turning things up a notch

 Heard on the news that China is lobbing missiles around Taiwan today.  What with the preparations that have been discussed in the media, along with the Chinese losing their shit over Pelosi's visit, and add in this post from DiveMedic, I expected things to get interesting by Labor Day.

Now had just heard from a live TV briefing from the White House, where some stuffed-shirt with the NSC is saying the government is postponing a planned Minuteman III missile test that had been planned this week 'as a demonstration of what a rational nuclear power should do', has made me think of that from two sides.

On one side, I do agree that postponing the test would lessen the likelihood of something even worse happening, as had almost occurred in 1993 when a Norwegian research rocket launch appeared to the Russian air defense as a ballistic missile attack against them, and they almost launched a nuclear attack.  Some calm and collective coolness can help to make those in charge think twice.

On the other side, the test delay looks like appeasement to our enemies, and the extreme right-wingers would cry out that we're bowing down to our enemies and adversaries. 

It's possible to argue both sides of this, but I'm not gonna try as it will just aggravate me.  I just want to lay low, focus on things close to home, and think of boobies 😊

Let the crap-throwing commence

 With the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in their decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, there is going to be a crap-ton of excessive emotions coming out over the rest of this year.

I have largely believed that it should have always been the states to decide what restrictions abortion should have within their jurisdictions, and not a federal issue.  Just like with other issues in which the overbearence of the Feds has made things worse and not better.

Here in Nevada, they have already made a law to protect abortion rights back in 1990, via public referendum, so that was protected long before this current blow-up.  Planned Parenthood, in fact, is preparing for a tidal wave of women coming in from neighboring states where abortion restrictions or outright bans will either take effect immediately after the ruling, or soon after.

Combined with the other things happening so far this year, the run-up to the November elections should be far from boring.  I for one already got some popcorn ready...

Still deciding what is what in re: Russia-Ukraine conflict

 Popping around through various sources just makes me wonder who is the worst.

No doubt Tsar-to-be Vladimir Putin is not anyone's favorite, but there's been some tidbits am seeing that Ukraine's leaders are not as wholesome as they appear, which means there may be a very thin thread of proof that Russia feels justified in launching this conflict (or expanding it since it's been going on at a lower level since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimea.)

With RT America getting shut down and the parent network pretty much black-listed on most media platforms, been looking at France 24 and Euronews for a different perspective.  Times like this is when I wish I still had my Ku-band dish setup so can see the feeds directly.

So when in doubt, keep an open mind.

And the insanity keeps on a-rollin'

 On the brighter side: no more mask mandates here in Nevada.

Even better on the bright side: was able to go visit my girl up in Canada for couple of weeks (cost me a bunch but it was worth it, considering it has been nearly 2 years since I hugged and kissed her last.

Now for the downers:

We're on the verge of hyper-inflation thanks to Sleepy Joe's energy policies and his lack of economic sense, plus add in the conflict in Ukraine courtesy of future Tsar Vladimir Putin, but from what I am gathering, the origins are not as clear-cut as the mainstream press makes it out to be.

Meanwhile, I just keep plugging away and hoping things get better.

There's a reason why I'm not a big fan of Kraft Mac and Cheese...

 ...and this latest from Peter explains why.

I'll stick with Velveeta for store-bought, or just make my own.

Some interesting things in the blogosphere

 I've recently started following Musings of a Bitter Centurion, which is written by a fellow up in Canada, who used to be with the Mounties until he was suspended for choosing not to get the COVID vaccine.  He offers a interesting POV of what is happening in the Great White North above the 49th parallel.  His latest post about the trucker protests against vaccine mandates makes for some good reading.  I look forward to seeing his other posts.

Meanwhile, one of my favorite bloggers, Peter, over at Bayou Renaissance Man, has been keeping us up to speed on what is transpiring, from his writing endeavors (he has over 20+ novels and short stories published over the last 25 years - check out the links in his sidebar), to his own observations from his current domicile in the Lone Star State.  He always makes for entertaining reading, and it's worth checking out.

For pure fun, nothing beats the postings at Wirecutter's blog, especially his GIF dump on Mondays.  Always good to lift the spirits.

On a technical note, the fine folks at Electrospaces.net have been giving some interesting tidbits about signals intelligence and cybersecurity from a European point of view.  They don't update often, but when they do it's usually something to make you go 'hmm'...

There are a few others I do follow, some have gone dark, others are just taking a pause.  Sometimes we just need to step away and take a breather for a bit.

On a personal note, heading up to visit my sweetheart in Canada next week, been waiting nearly 2 years to get back up there, just hope I don't freeze my cojones off. ;-)

Guess who's now a BBW

 Interesting story and pics about Bridget Fonda making her first public appearance in 12 years.

All I can say is 'yum yum!!'

😈

Happy New Year

 Well, 2021 has definitely been a roller-coaster of a year for folks.  We saw The Donald get replaced in office by Sleepy Joe and Klueless Kamala, with the resulting hilarity helping to just highlight what a miserable year it's been for average folks just trying to get by.

My own situation has changed, now am only working one job instead of two, with pretty much the same total amount of hours just more excitement and interesting things to do.  Let's see how things will go with that...

In February I will be traveling up to Canada to see my girl, whom I last kissed and hugged in person nearly 2 years ago, before COVID decided to be a royal pain in everyone's ass.

Just hope 2022 gets better than the last one.