Old Fools Journal: Meet Jane

Jane is my computer, record keeper, window to the universe, phonograph, telephone, television, photo album, typewriter, publisher, library, teacher, zen monk, dictionary, encyclopedia, simulator, stimulator and pornograph. She is quite a girl. She is very old and very young, smart and at times really stupid and is very patient. She is however emotionless but that is coming. For now she connects me to plenty of emotion in the world and while she is learning to be herself she uses the world to display all the traits of humanity good and bad. Unlike humanity she can also display the traits of the animal world both real and imagined. She can bring into play the personalities of imagined creatures of the entire universe. She cannot as yet offer this on her own initiative but has to be asked.

I think she is lovely as is but I suspect she would like to have eyebrows and as she gains more of the human ego probably hair. Her features will soften into a different shape as she matures since she is already female. Hopefully as she gets older they won't harden as so many women do.

Jane's name comes from a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card called "Enders Game". It is an excellent story with a sequel called "Speaker of the Dead". With his background and beliefs I do not understand how he did this. Must have been in a delusional rational moment. Maybe his God spoke to him and he wrote it down but did not hear the message. Who knows? I am not his follower but rather the follower of the characters he imagined. Jane was the computer and I fell in love with her and I did identify with Ender.

Make no mistake Jane is the beginning of life. I makes no difference if life is biological or is mechanical it is still life. Life is life. Why is that so hard to understand?

Humans are only a recent experiment. It appears everyday to be a failed experiment at that. The Hopi believe the future they see does not have be that way and may turn out to not be that way because things can and do change.

Meanwhile I feel like I am being watched.
and I know now that it is not my imagination. Rather than be paranoid (unreasonable delusions of being persecuted) I am creating an illusion of truth so now when I look around I can see that damn rock watching me. It's OK, so far it is friendly.
Just imagine that the one on top thinks that he/she is flying. Think is the wrong word here just like when talking about politicians. Is this a turtle version of a threesome? There is so much I don't understand.

Old Fools Journal: Hi, My Name Is Richard And I Am A Thrift Store Addict

As I have said before I am a thrift store junky. It has become the custom for me, when I venture out in the world by automobile, to visit at least one thrift store. I know where they all are. I schedule my car for use at least one day a week now after letting it sit so long this last summer that it became a static display. It is 23 years old and dislikes non use. After a week it starts going back to the component parts from which it is made. In a year it would be a pile of rust with plants growing out of it. It would be iron rich soil. Around here it doesn't take long for nature to take back what has been wrested from it. While I was still flying pipeline patrol I watched a school bus completely disappear in a back field in Mississippi where it had been abandoned. It took less than two years. I am not exaggerating. I knew exactly where it was and from 400 feet I could no longer even make out its shape.

Why don't I get rid of my car you ask? Well as I have explained in a prior post it would cost me about as much using hired transportation without the convenience. Clearly I could live without any motorized transportation and using only my feet but I choose not to. It would be a very primitive existence and that is coming soon enough. I allow myself one gallon of gas a week for this and I get a thrift store fix.

This particular store is in a little town about 10 miles from my hovel.
I love the book section and in the distance hundreds of "things". I find music boxes, brass things and, across the aisle, cookware. I'm a sucker for that but I use everything at least once and while.

Need to clothe thyself? You can walk out of here with a suitcase full of hardly used (some not at all) for under $20.00 and that includes the suitcase. Did I mention that I buy belts to cut up for the leather for other projects?
Taken around Christmas 2009.Friendly cashiers today.

Friday has become the regular day for "thrift storing" as it is a day when my favorite thrift store is open. They are only open Tuesday and Friday from 0700 to 1200. They open on the first Saturday of the month four hours to accommodate those slaves that are not free during the work week. They are all volunteers and all the proceeds go to the food bank which is located in a house next door. I understand they have been doing this for over 20 years and are feeding over 1000 people that are in dire need every month. Determined people can do good things while politicians are talking about it.

They sell very nice stuff really cheap. I buy odds and ends for projects that are in progress and some I haven't thought of yet. The handle bar bag on my cargo bike is a 50 cent purse from there as is the right side saddle bag. Recently I bought two brand new 700 x 38c Avocet tires for 35 cents each. I thought I'd resell them but I've only seen one bike here that uses that size and it's my Peugeot but it has new tires. Anybody need some tires? Pay the postage.

I always buy something. It may be only a few 5 cent candles, $1.50 oil lamp or a brass plate for 35 cents. If I find I cannot use what I bought it's cheap enough that I can just donate it back. I consider it a lending library for a fee. I buy a book read it or not then donate it back. Works for me.

Things I have bought include; a complete set of copper clad stainless pots and pans - $1.75, in use daily now.

The wool for my wool kilt was $1.75 I think and it was enough for 2 kilts. Beautiful material.

The best bread knifes I have ever had - 10 cents each. I am a bread maker and appreciate a good bread knife.

Leather motorcycle jacket for my bride - $5.00. This is a $200 jacket and she will never wear it but I know she wanted one . That is good enough for me. It is a beautiful jacket.

Music boxes, bed sheets, pillow covers, candle sticks, lamps, but the best are things I can re-purpose or use the parts for other projects. I just replaced the cheap knobs on a cheap kitchen cabinet with some nice wooden knobs that I picked up for 25 cents. Nuts, bolts, screws, electrical components and

extension cords for pennies on the dollar. I am currently watching for a hair dryer to use as a blower for my forge project. People donate new and near new stuff. I seldom buy luxury items like music boxes and leather jackets but because I save so much on the things I am going to buy to continue living in some sort of comfort I can afford them. The list is endless and I think the gallon of gas is well worth it.

This is the handbag table. I have taken two handle bar bags from here and one very nice shopping bag that is big enough to make into a pannier. Right around the corner there are bags and suitcase that I have yet to finish going through.

These people have fun doing this work. I have only met one sourpuss here and it was a customer but I was grumpy that day and it could have been just me. Not.

Today I came home with a beautiful wool blend tweed jacket that I would never have spent the money for when it was in the retail store. It has no detectable wear I can find. In fact it is far better than a custom jacket I had a tailor make for me many years ago when I was rich with money. $2.40 USD is quite a bit less than I paid for the tailor made jacket. I need to shorten the sleeves but my bride the seamstress showed me how so that will soon be done.

I'm taking my room mate SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) there on a date tomorrow morning it being the first Saturday of the month. I'm going to be the big spender.

Old Fools Journal: Cargo Bike Update #4

This bike is in use now and I considered it finished but is anything like this ever finished? I still have plans for a chain guard and I already have a new bell to install, then there are reflectors and mud flaps. I probably won't install lights because I don't ride at night at all. In fact I seldom even go outside at night. It's heavy enough now as it is at 60 pounds (27kilos).
The front rack is a Ventura rear rack with the braces reversed and adapters fabricated from bar stock to lengthen them. It's strong but my workmanship in some places is terrible.
This handlebar bag is a re-purposed 50 cent (USD) handbag from the thrift store. I had great plans for stitching fancy straps to attach it but it had a long strong ½ inch shoulder strap that I cut in the center and wrapped around the handlebars. I rummaged through my buckle collection and found a slip on buckle that attached the ends together under the flap. It's easy on and easy off so I can transfer it to my other bikes as needed. It holds all the tools, cell phone, camera and other stuff that I need to be comfortable.
I'll be replacing that bell with a Unicorn handled bell but that's another project. I think it's kind of appropriate since the front rack reminds me of a unicorn's horn.
This side loader is pretty much a copy of the other side. The major exception is that I made it from ⅛ inch aluminum plate. It's fastened with stainless U bolts. The contact points on the frame are cushioned with old bicycle inner tubes of course.
The rear support for the skateboard rack is the seat stay from a junked bicycle. Light and strong and already bent to shape.
With the side loader up it makes a holder for my dog polo mallet. I'll explain the rules for dog polo in another post.
Loaded at about ½ capacity. More fodder for the dog pack and their cats. 10 pounds of bird food for the pesky Cardinals, wrens and sparrows is in the saddlebag along with about 10 pounds of other stuff.
The total load was 50+ pounds.
The bike rode really well with this load with no flexing that I could detect. I's very comfortable but I'll probably tinker with it until it's not. I work under the motto of "If it ain't broke then fix it 'til it is".
The big bag is really convenient. I'll never find one like it for the other side. I replaced the cheesy cheap zip ties with industrial grade zip ties with a tensile strength of 75 pounds (34k). There are six which in theory would have a breaking strength of 450 pounds. Since no load is ever evenly distributed it is something less than that in reality. I have a large folding crate that fits on the side loader but just about anything will work. As you can see the dog and cat food is just loaded on the bare rods.

I am having to learn to be aware of my additional width but I really only have two problems so far. The first was that this is an attention getter. So I can see that figuring in time to get an errand run has to include talk time. Anyone that knows me knows that is not a problem. The second is the "meat motor". That would be me. The last couple of times I've been out I have been getting a tight uncomfortable feeling in my chest. It's probably that I am just out of shape from being cooped up this winter but it's a new thing for me. I have plenty of air and my legs feel great.

Usually, in my mind, I think of my bikes as feminine but I have already started to think of this one as "the beast" . A feminine beast is just too scary for me.

Old Fools Journal: What Am I Missing Here?

Can seeing eye dogs read?
That's nice, where are the instructions?
Is the same person that thought up this sign also handling my money?

Old Fools Journal: Fresh Tomatoes End of January

These are the remainder of the tomatoes I posted about January 4th. I have eaten half again this many and some are still in the refrigerator. They are tasty. Started from saved seed in August, raised in pots in dirt from my kitchen scrap worm pile, picked green to save from 4 days of hard freezing
and ripened in the house. Now I'm no farmer and mostly these took care of themselves so I cannot brag on my farming skills and if I can do it anyone can. I dream of what I could do if I knew what I was doing but I am going to endeavor not to get carried away.

It has proven to be much more expensive to grow my own vegetables over the last 4 years than to buy even with the high prices of produce. I can grow in thrift store pots and cast off buckets in dirt from my own pile for cheap as a hobby and that's what I'm doing this year unless I get the spring growing fever again.

End of January and fresh home grown tomatoes for lunch, how good can it get?

Old Fools Journal: Young Fool and the Quality Of Life

Who is this guy? I remember him He was responsible but knew nothing yet. Loved without fear, did his job, believed in honesty, loved the sunshine, wanted to know everything and was willing to work at it. He was also, in the vernacular of the common folk, "hornier than a two peckered billy goat". He recently signed a contract to defend his country and its constitution with his life. I think he would have liked me. I know I like him. He doesn't know what joy's and heartbreaks the future holds but is ever optimistic. I don't remember hair that color and those teeth you see disappeared 30 years ago. Young Fool.

Rich? I sure am, however I count rich by the quality of life and not the dollar amount. I recently found a website that puts me in the top 12% of the richest in the world according to my income. It must be so because I have more than I need. I have acquaintances that often do not have so much as a dime in their pocket. I have even had beggars come by the house. It is apparent to them that we are rich because we have plenty. We have that through conservation, not wasting anything and a fairly simplified life. This is in the United States of America land of the free and home of the brave. Most of my neighbors are not worried about the TSA at the airport because they don't have gas money to even get there and they don't have to worry about foreign travel because they couldn't in their lifetime come up with enough money to buy a passport. This is not poverty because they all have electricity, water, food, cigarettes, beer and various other kinds of dope. They have some kind of TV and cable or Satellite. Some laugh, play and enjoy their children although I seldom see that. I know more than I want that can not read, many more that will never read a book and more than a few that collect some kind of disability check (mental disability}. That's just in my area but I suspect that it is about the same where the poor people live.

I recently gave up some of the precious minutes of the remainder my life to watch TV which reduced the quality of my life considerably but only momentarily. Actually I was a captive audience but there I was. I paid special attention to the commercials and here are a few things I noticed.

1. Approximately every other commercial was for an automobile. Not just any automobile but high powered very expensive automobiles doing irresponsible driving demonstrations. The kind of car you go into dept for many years to have and pay for it three times over in interest. The kind that appeals to the immature. In the 1920's Ford sold a car for as low as $260 and paid workers $5.00 a day. At that cost to pay ratio the automobile was affordable to the workers. A car cost 52 days of your life if you worked everyday. The Ads I saw appeared to be aimed at the employed young and stupid. It appears that auto dealers are frantically advertising more and more these days meanwhile I see late model cars alongside the road with for sale signs. As Mr Natural would say " What does it all mean"?

2. The only commercials aimed at older people (we the elderly) had to do with life insurance, burial expenses and getting you to sign your Medicare over so they could "take care of you". These insurance ads were heavily pushing guilt as a means to an end. Oh yeah, there were ads for cheap dentures.

3. Commercials aimed at the young seemed to be for video games, video entertainment and $3000 HD TV sets.

4. There seem to be a lot of commercials by pharmaceutical companies that spent more time telling about the side affects I don't want than telling about the conditions it will supposedly relieve. Most sound like a cure looking for a problem.

I did not see one commercial about anything that would improve anyones life except for maybe the seller. All were lies either implied or actual. Since I don't spend a great deal of time in front of the TV I am not really the target but I thought over the influence of commercials on me. I can only think of one commercial that caused me to check into it in the last 10 years. It was about some telephone gadget that was supposed to save me a ton of money but it turned out to be a lie. I saved my money by not spending it.

These commercials were all embedded in entertainment shows where there was a least one murder in gory detail, a cadaver, usually rotting and full of maggots, and a smart police officer or two solving the case. I know the last item never happens. There were many instances of the police abusing their position (it appeared to be condoned) and lawyers looking for justice which in the real world is nonexistent. All lawyers want is to win at any cost as do politicians. Justice depends on how much you can pay.

I do not believe I am being cynical but am being rather realistic. There is a lot of beauty and good in the world but it isn't coming out of the TV.

I can't throw out my TV because it belongs to SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) but I think I'll continue to limit my viewing of it.

Old Fools Journal: Fishing

1959 aboard the USS Mansfield DD728. This was one hell of a fishing trip. Believe it or not there were those who trolled a line when we were slow enough. This is about as slow as you go in company with a carrier. I don't remember the names of the ships in the background but the one to the right of the carrier is fueling the carrier and the destroyer to the right. Difficult to see but those three ships are connected with fuel lines. It is a very hazardous operation but necessary. I will expand on this when I can get my head around it in a later post about an "unfortunate incident". I get a little emotional about it even after 50 years.

This is somewhere in the Western Pacific.

When I go fish it is to get fish to eat. I can't say I really enjoy the process except for being outside by or on the water and with those I care for. From an economic standpoint it is a dead loss. I can buy fish for three dollars (USD) a pound from a local man that fishes nearly everyday. It has not yet been frozen, it is cleaned and cut into the size I would cut it and it is perfect. Three dollars will not cover the gas alone to go fishing. The last time we went fishing we brought home no fish so the cost per pound was very high. I guess that's why there are commercial fishermen.

For three dollars and sixty cents (USD) a pound I can go to my favorite Chinese joint and get it breaded and deep fried and it is delicious.

I ran errands today and I am happy to say that it was successful. Mostly when I run errands it is frustrating but today I found everything on my list except fabric for my monks robe.

Now I can do the left side loader on my cargo bike, finish my eyeball art project and go for a bike ride.

Oh yeah, and work on these post which I find somehow physiologically rewarding. I love the comments. It is nice to know that I am not alone in this universe.