Observations 27 APR 2014- The Cycle Resets

Obviously, a lot has happened since my last blog post. The Winter of DeathCold and DeathSnow forced me into taking action on something I should have done long ago: I can no longer afford to maintain a house. Something about $300 monthly heating bills, siding being ripped off by storms, and adjustment to a 40% reduction in income. I now live in a basement apartment, five minutes walk from two grocery stores, a post office, and a MetroLink station. The move nearly killed me. If only I had done this when my Mom died. I had been planning something similar, but Mom died much earlier than I thought. Foolishly, I moved back into the house, and poured cash into it to make it more saleable (I thought) and habitable. All of that money was wasted, in the end. It just bought me four years of increasing expenses. Once again, I have had to jettison the past. And I do mean jettison- so much physical material had to be gifted, donated, recycled, or trashed. The operational plan was simple- only bring what was needed to live in the apartment. No attempt, this time, to stuff the house into the apartment, or the old life into the new one. It's a more profound concept than deciding what junk is to be saved. It worked. But at a cost. For my health, the backbreaking haul nearly finished me. But, once established in the bunker, my allergies diminished. I was eating food cooked by myself. I was walking more. I brought the bike, and am now using it to ride the nearby bike trails and parks. Additionally, you can stuff a lot from the store into the bike's saddlebags. The bunker is *quiet*. Peaceful. In the doghouse, every neighborhood event was noticeable, and I was aware of the slightest changes in the weather. In the bunker, I have to check the computer for the weather. The heating and cooling of the bunker is far more stable, and there are no doggie destroyed carpets to make me sneeze. There are neighbor noises, but I'm in a corner location, and sheltered. Ironically, I may be in the best place to ride out a heavy storm. There is no sign of water damage, and I've checked thoroughly. My sleeping has improved. Greatly. I've had to give up my radio and TV gear, for the most part. There is a nearby electrical substation that plays merry hell with HF, so I may be down to a handheld, soon. UHF is now my most reliable band. Less than two miles from most of the STL area's major TV transmitters, the TV sets suffer from overload. Worse, Channel 9, PBS, has to be caught by using a reflected signal off another building! GRRRRR! On the other hand, my internet connection is far superior, and I am now watching much streamed material. I'm catching up on decades worth of material. Also, I am using Skype and other methods of remote social media to connect with others, now. From a social and societal standpoint, I may be part of a trend. From degreed professional, to working poor. I'm starting my elderhood a little early. That is something the Millenial generation is facing: There may not be an American Dream anymore. (Actually, it's been dying since 1973, when real wages began falling in the US). The political board is as mad as ever. They are arguing about gun control as the rest of us are just trying to survive, and getting even more "triage fatigue" (what to sacrifice next). Monday morning steadily approaches. Time for bed.

Well, That Was Fun

As soon as the OAT (Outside Air Temperature) hit 20 F, I shovelled off the front and back steps, and got the accumulation off of the car. My purchase of the last snow shovel in the metro area on Saturday paid off. Tuesday afternoon. Cue the Moody Blues. It was simply too dangerous to work outside for an old dog like me, so I waited it out. Good call. I'm blown, after only about half an hour. If I had done this when it was - 10 F, I might well be a frozen outline in the driveway. Car warm-up will commence at 1530, peak heating for the day.

Observations 9 NOV 2013

This has been an unusual year. Earlier this fall I noted early migrations for birds, but the traditional fall turnover was late. We may rush straight into winter this year. It rained, of course, for Halloween. I should be posting more often. These slight events, noticed, make up a large part of life. Sadly, I've not been riding enough in the wunderbar weather we've had this fall. Staring at spreadsheets all day makes me want to nap, not ride. Bad dog. I have turned on my radios, again. I bought the new version of HRD, installed it on the primary machine, and immediately improved performance. The old e-machine simply isn't cutting it anymore, except for simple browsing. In the last few weeks, I've done some refreshing tech work, getting ready to use the radio for new modes. I have implemented JT-65 and JT-9, at last. Originally, I was dismissive, but now I have come to appreciate the weak signal capacities of these protocols. Although, waiting 47 seconds to send 13 characters is a pain. But the DX results are amazing. I'm now getting Western Australia on my little antenna, on 40 meters! And, the Philippines on 80 meters! Results on 10 meters are nearly as impressive. I can now work DX nearly worldwide on 25 watts. The FCC recently turned down a petition to open 10 meters fully to Techs. That will change, as the ol' boys go SK. Getting all of 12 meters will follow, probably by 2020. One might also see CB/11 meters opened up to hams, as well. Same goes for the Family Radio Service (FRS) on UHF, as the FCC pillages more spectrum for cell phones/data, and has to give up hostages to do so. FRS is more likely to go away, as is 222 MHz. Streaming video is not a big threat to 30 MHz and below, at least not yet. I don't think SSTV is going to catch on anytime soon on IPads... The political board has continued to degenerate. The October meltdown only made the Second Civil War more obvious. Went to a party at my cousin's, deep in Gasconade County. A relaxed, good time, with food, a bonfire, and stars. But no cell phone signal. 74 miles there, in 2 hrs. Scenic hardly describe the drive. Nice time. Back later.

Geese Heading South- In August

In the last week I noted geese headed south, a month or so early.

The critters know more than we do about the weather...

Over-Hyped?

Ask any resident of a flooded out area in the Northeast just how overhyped Irene was, as they face the flooding problems.

A tornado passed over LAMBERT FIELD, for Elvis' sake, and people bitched about sirens going off too often. Ask the residents of North County just how over-hyped the warnings were. I have co-workers with houses destroyed, and injuries from that.

Idiots.

2 Day Freeze

The STL Metro was luckier than thought; the 2 bands of heavy ice and snow missed the core area by about 40 miles/70 km. Drifting snow is now accumulating slowly on the back side of the low pressure center (which went right over the Arch). The center band that hit us was mostly sleet, with light snow on top. Temps are expected to be below freezing for the next 24-48 hrs, and winds are expected to be relatively high (25-50 mph). This is due to the backside of the low bringing rapid circulation. De-Icing will be the primary concern: Power lines. Travel is hazardous.

As usual, I filled the refrigerator and shelves with stuff on Sunday night. Scruffy is coming back quickly from his trips to the back yard. Lots of soup...

I should be doing postponed interior projects, but have mostly been hibernating. We're off work for tomorrow as well. MODOT and IDOT have most of the interstates closed. Local roads are marginal at best, and dangerous otherwise. Perhaps I might get some work done today.

Local forecasts:

http://www.wunderground.com/US/IL/Cahokia.html

http://www.wunderground.com/US/MO/Saint_Louis.html

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/

My freedom from the political board is most liberating. I've spent most of my day off of the computer.

Saw an interesting phrase: Do not regret the life not lived. It's well to remember that. One day at a time, indeed.

What brings this up is that there have been major reductions in our workforce announced Friday. I heard the bullets go by, others around me got hit. Not a pleasant thing to watch friends go down. For me, they always said that the living would envy the dead (cue Tina Turner). More work, same pay. Choose.

Scuffy needs to be fed.

Good thing, to have some time to recover.

On a lighter note, many of the European boardgames are now available for mobile devices. My Android device is lagging the Apple releases, but eventually I will be able to play my friends by smart phone. Medici, which I played for the first time Saturday, is a notably fun game, which is being ported over. Now, we need Acquire and Power Grid. I suspect this will happen for many of the old classics as well. Anything to save fuel, time, and bad weather risk.

Back to waiting it out.

Wally.

I'm Not Alone As A Weather Nut

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/05/03/weather.psychology/index.html?hpt=Sbin

That's Some Iceberg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7984054.stm

Stormy Weather Channel

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2008/11/nbc_fires_twc_environmental_un.html

NBC Fires Weather Channel Environmental Unit
Some on-camera meteorologists also let go

* The Capital Weather Gang's Winter Outlook *

NBC Universal made the first of potentially several rounds of staffing cuts at The Weather Channel (TWC) on Wednesday, axing the entire staff of the "Forecast Earth" environmental program during the middle of NBC's "Green Week," as well as several on-camera meteorologists. The layoffs totaled about 10 percent of the workforce, and are among the first major changes made since NBC completed its purchase of the venerable weather network in September.

Keep reading for more on The Weather Channel cuts...

The layoffs affected about 80 people, but left the long-term leadership of the network unclear, according to a source who requested anonymity due to the continuing uncertainty at the station.

Among the meteorologists who was let go was Dave Schwartz, a Weather Channel veteran and a viewer staple due to his lively on camera presentations. USA Today reported that meteorologists Cheryl Lemke and Eboni Deon were also let go.

The timing of the Forecast Earth cancellation was ironic, since it came in the middle of NBC's "Green Week," during which the network has been touting its environmental coverage across all of its platforms. Forecast Earth normally aired on weekends, but its presumed last episode was shown on a weekday due to the environmentally-oriented week.

Forecast Earth was hosted by former CNN anchor Natalie Allen, with contributions from climate expert Heidi Cullen. It was the sole program on TWC that focused on global climate change, which raises the question of whether the station will still report on the subject. Cullen's future role at the network is not known.

NBC released the following statement in response to questions about the firings:

The economic realities of recent months have created challenges for everyone in our business. In addition, when NBC Universal purchased the Weather Channel earlier this year, we expected that there would be cost synergies as part of a company reorganization. While it is always difficult to lose valued employees, we are doing our best to minimize the impact, and remain committed to providing the highest quality content that our viewers have come to expect from the Weather Channel.

By Andrew Freedman | November 21, 2008; 5:00 PM ET

I Like Ike

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200809.html

Gustav, Inbound

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200807.html