It occured to me today that Gavin Newsom has to make it through a drought of a summer, and he's still going to win because Republicans put up the most unlikeable rediculous candidates. I might vote Mary Carey. I think it's her time.

I'm already reducing my fire danger and picking my bug out hotel for when the power outages hit! Add savvage drought to your bingo card, cause we here. There is no chance to make up now. Farmers are going to get zero water. We will get to see how much progress the utilites made in isolating grids. People are going to be fighting mad if they shut of power this year. Mark my words.

Just put up anyone sane Republicans. ANYONE. For gawds sakes.

It's frustrating how intellectually dishonest people are right now.

Watch Live: Fed Chair Powell Trying To Explain How The Fed "Knows" Inflation Will Be "Transitory".

Powell knows, because I'm pretty sure he is aware we aren't going to be able to just print 4 trillion dollars every fucking year. It took President Money Bags Obama 8 YEARS to print that much money. And I'm actually being generous. He only printed 3 Trillion.

In a pay for click world, you can plug out complete vapid bullshit. Zero Hedge knows this. Next month he will be on about how we knew inflation would never take hold. Such phoney morals. So... when we plow through that money, we are going to hit an air pocket. Because it's completely normal for houses to go up 20-24% in one year.

It used to take ten years for your house to double. Then in the housing crisis it went to 12/14 years. Now houses double in 5 years?! STFU.

You don't win elections by being worse than the other side.

Last night, clips from Tucker Carlsons show started coming through my feed. And normally I wouldn't have watched it, but he was telling people to confront "us Zealots" and call CPS on children wearing masks because it's child abuse.

I thought to myself - this has to be what Jews feel like when people compare everything to the holocaust. Because, if people think having a child wear a mask is child abuse, you seriously have no understanding of what child abuse is. I also think you might need to seek therapy. And not in a snarky way. In a very genuine, DEEP, you need to do some serious self reflection kind of way.

I do. I was in a children's shelter for 30 days. And you can assume by how long my stay was - it was a pretty serious matter. I was a ward of the court from the time I was seven years old until I became an adult at 18.

To invite a government bureaucracy into peoples lives (especially this one!) is next level fucked up. You can never get this particular agency out of your life. There is no moral equivalency to being harassed in a supermarket. Although I don't understand why anyone spent any time on people who don't want to wear a mask. This is genuinely a self resolving problem. CPS is one of those agencies that once you are in it, they are a part of your life almost forever. 

Additionally as I got older I grew to feel that being removed from my home was almost as traumatic as what got me there in the first place. They yank you out of school and then you have to live in a mini jail for 30 days. You are removed from everything you know. So I would say I'm fairly triggered.

All I know is that the more Republicans become everything they claim to hate - we are gonna lose elections. Republicans need to stop this shit.

Focuses the mind.

Summer is apparently canceled. Everything I planned for the summer is getting rescheduled till the fall.

About a month ago I had to sign my first liability waiver to start attending conferences again. Which basically said I hold the venue harmless. But today I had to sign another one which was a bit more direct. 

Maybe they thought no one would sign up for these things yet. I think they just wanted to say - we aren't sure you understood us. You could die. I mean, I think this is how this whole thing got started was from one medical conference. Right? These are the ultimate super spreader events. 

This is the first line:

"I assume all risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury (including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind, that I may experience or incur in connection with my participation. 

I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless Questex LLC, its employees, agents, and representatives, of and from any such claims, including all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind arising out of or relating thereto."

It goes on to say:

Specifically relating to the global COVID-19 pandemic, I acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk of exposure or infection by my participation, and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death. I understand that the CDC, local Health Departments, and other public health authorities still recommend practicing social distancing, and in furtherance thereof Questex has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 during the live conference at the event. I agree to comply with such measures in order to better protect both myself and others, and to help reduce the overall spread of the virus.

Then it goes on to list a few rules that people are just going to comoletely lie about. Like not coming if you have recently been exposed.

Yesterday a guy I know walks up to me and says " So and So's brother was in the hospital for five days after the J&J jab.

I was completely stunned because the shot has been on pause for a while.

I finally mutter - is he okay? He says, no. He's still having neurological problems. I then ask if he's still in the hospital, and he says no.

Then I asked when he got the shot. Because as I said, it's been paused for a while. 

He said he got it two days before they shut it down.

I haven't been able to talk to the other guy yet. So this is speculation. Innuendo. Hearsay. Rumor mill. But wow - I wish I never heard that story. 

For the record I am neither anti vax, or pro vax. I think I'm scaretyvax.  When I see there aren't many problems I feel better, and when I hear more problems I feel less better.

Sometimes you get just one shot.

Mr S. and I noticed this car because it's been long time since we'd seen one. We were trying to figure out the year. I thought it was a 70's model. Mr S. thought it was an 80's model.

As we passed him in the slow lane I noticed his steering wheel. But since my desire to stalk someone (on the freeway) for a shot of the INTERIOR of their car was super low, I said to Mr S. - if I see that car again I'm going to get that steering wheel. I thought he was getting off the freeway because he was in the slow lane.

We get off at the next exit, and he's behind us. Luckily at the light, we both get stopped in this configuration and I yell - love your steering wheel! He pulls it off. I get one shot and now you know that heart steering wheels are a thing. 

The car was a 1985ish Nissan 200 if you were wondering.

Remember when we used to fret about having enough amunition for the next downturn?  

Seriously.....what happens now? Asking for a friend. Lots of the world is locking up again.

Remember, the only thing that matters is looking superior to others.

If Lockdowns Are Needed, Why Did More People Die In States That Locked Down Than Those That Didn't?.

I am so ..... fucking.... sick .... of this topic. But, if this were true - why is Hawaii all the way to the left of this graph with the fewest deaths per million? We can all agree they had the most severe lockdown. RIGHT?  And why is North Dakota almost all the way at the right of the graph? I know people never actually look at the charts and only at the agenda.

Hawaii is the only State that can claim a true lockdown.

I stopped drinking and driving when I was younger because I got way too close to the line once. I thought - if I killed someone I could never live with myself. I know the pain of losing people. I could never do that to someone else.

So, if I have to wear a mask to make OTHER people feel more comfortable - I am going to do that. Even thought I fucking hate them. It's NOT a character flaw. And I still am really stunned by people who think it is.

Fisker - meh.

 

I got this on Saturday and was almost immediately bored with it. Plus, interesting stuff never comes out lately when I have nothing to do.

A few days ago I was talking to Mr S. and said - these minivans are making me crazy. I mean, I know they are SUV's, but they are really minivans. Right? Men are exacting their revenge for women making them drive those ridiculous cars for so long.

Then I got a 15 minute history lesson on emissions and why minivans came into existence. Because apparently Mr S. has some secret love for station wagons from his childhood.

Right now has to be the most boring car timeline in history. Every time I see a minivan I think - Little boxes, little boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same. And that makes you pull over for a Fisker I guess.

 

It had a very identifying plate so I censored it. Obvi.

Updates.

For the past few months I've been spending a lot of time trying to find content for the blog without much luck. Which means a lot of my home projects started backing up.

This weekend Mr S. and I needed to hole up in the house to move things along because a new project got added to the heap. Last week my oven got delivered and it's been sitting in my living room for a week.

You see manufactures find it funny to change the design of stuff. They basically gave us a 9 inch by 9 inch cut out for electrical. And of course I was not in that range. So Mr S. and I spent the weekend moving the electrical box exactly 8 inches North. Also my house was a previous flip so the box wasn't recessed. And you really don't have any room behind these things these days.

Normally it would be sort of a pain in the ass. But Mr S. got me this palm nailer last year and I had never gotten the chance to use it. And this was the perfect project! I saw one of my contractors use one of these once and I was like - oh yeah. You are going to be mine.

It's the size of a girl fist. And it hammers in nails with air. It gets in places where swinging a hammer will make you go insane. Like inside of a cabinet. Nails go on the right side that looks like a ratchet. Air on the other. OMG I love this thing.

Tomorrow my oven gets reinstalled. 

I am also the prowd owner of moving straps because we had to take the old oven out to do the electrical. You have to buy those. Seriously. The old oven weights like 160 pounds and strapped made that so much easier. We would have stuck in the new oven if it weren't for the glass on the front. There are a bunch of warnings.

I sort of wanted to do it just to say I could because it weighs 220 pounds. And I'm getting older. And I'm a chick!

She bougie now.

 

The old timers here may remember that Mr S. was drowning me in bread a couple of years before the pandemic. So... by the time we got locked down last year he had already moved on to harder stuff. He started watching all these youtube guys like Binging with Babish,  and Joshua Weissmann.

And somehow now ~I'M~ making puff pastry. I just became fascinated with the layers. 

 

Since this was only the second time I'd made this and I'm prone to overstuffing - I wasn't really too careful. It all looks the same in your belly. It leaked out less than I expected. You can see my half ass seal.

 

I made a blackberry reduction. With a layer of Brie, topped with a black plum reduction.

 

I did six turns, but didn't take pictures every time. But yeah - now this stuff shows up in my fridge.

Seriously?

 

The economy is on the cusp of a major boom and economists believe it could last.

I guess the other thing that is making me shut down is this ridiculous bullshit. We all know from the housing crisis that "economists" are the last to see literally EVERYTHING.

You are going to try and convince me that people are going to absorb lumber prices like the chart above, which goes back to the 80's and we are going to just keep chugging along? Get the fuck out of here. Honestly.

To believe that - you'd have to believe that we would continue printing the kind of money Trump did. And I know the alternative was worse, but helping the economy and Rolls-Royce having their best year in 116 years are completely different things. FFS I just read this morning that houses in PORTLAND are selling for 100k over asking now. WTF!? The real estate agents in Fremont are now bragging about 300k over asking. And all of this is fueled by money printing. Whats to even say about any of this?

Also... Trump tried to reduce the balance sheet last year, and I think he made a tactical error. You can see he had to bump it back up right away. Then the pandemic hit. Maybe this is what caused him to unleash such a frustrating amount of money. I do wonder if it somehow contributed to the election outcome.

100

For the past few months I've been trying to figure out a path for this blog. I am intensely bored of talking about the pandemic. I wish I never had to talk about it again. but that is not the way life is going to be, unfortunately. I'm also highly aware that my readership holds a vastly different view than I do. AND THAT'S OKAY. As long as everyone stays respectful. Which they have - except for that one guy.

I'm also aware that many popular blogs just turn into a screed. So I'm trying to find a balance of being able to express my views while not becoming that. 

I guess mostly I feel like Republicans are making it so we can never win an election again. And it's not just because of voter fraud.  In my opinion they have become just like the Democrat's in that I don't think they believe anything they fight about.  It's very on brand for Republicans to snatch defeat away from victory. And I think it's a huge mistake to blame the last election exclusively on voter fraud. That campaign was a MESS. It seems apparent now it was filled with never Trumpers.

If it were up to me, we'd take the next three and a half years and really reflect, and kick out, who ever we could. But that is not going to happen because we are too busy dunking on each other and feeling superior.  China must be laughing their ass off. 

Having said that - I am glad we are now at the Texas stage. Which I guess is technically the Brazil stage. You should really see how Brazil is handling herd immunity right now. About a month ago Germany was like - OMG we are in a new pandemic. Crickets.

Then France and much of Europe locked back down. Fascists.

About three weeks ago Canada started freaking out. Double crickets. Canada again. OMG this is starting to scare us. And now half of our hockey team is infected and pretty sick. America - no! This only hits old disposable people. Canada again, yeah...... but we are actually closing a bunch of our schools because the kids are getting sick. America - LOL.

America again - let's have a sports event! Which I am actually totally for. I mean, Europe is doing control concerts, but in Texas's defense, at least this we can track transmission. The seats are all numbered and I assume these were all consenting adults. I totes think should be doing more of that. Said sincerely. I am all for personal responsibility.

That is one fugly Mercedes.

It isn't that I haven't seen ~any~ cars, I just haven't seen any that I haven't seen before. 

I think I ~might~ have seen a MayBach once at an Auto show, but never in the wild. And I just don't get them. I don't know why you would pay up for this. 

A few minutes before we spotted it, Mr S. and I were talking about the baby shit brown/yellow color that comes around from time to time. I've been seeing a bunch of that lately.  He says - next .....two tone will come back. Then we saw this Maybach in two tone.

Construction crash imminent.

 

I was at the lumber store a few weeks ago and noticed the wood section was looking uncharacteristically rough for Home Depo. It was super thin and heavily picked over. Then it occurred to me that if there is no wood, people don't have jobs. It freaked me out enough that I walked the whole store trying to spot a pattern. I would have thought maybe this store hadn't been stocked recently and maybe this was no big deal..... if it weren't for all those stories I've been reading about shortages from literally all over the world.

The shortages have been talked about a lot over the past months, but when you start seeing large gaps at Home Depo, the end is pretty near. They have one of the deepest supply chains on the planet. 

Since then I've been trying to figure out the real reason we have a shortage of wood. There are a lot of theories, but so far most of them don't make that much sense to me. They range from when Trump put the 25% tariffs on wood from Canada it decimated their milling industry which seems plausible. Apparently this put a lot of mills out of business.  Which I'm not sure I have a lot of sympathy for because Canada put our mills out of business. Which is why we can't recover from this quickly. Those tariffs were designed to help bring back domestic production.

People go on to speculate that those tariffs caused a cosy relationship between China and Russia because wood is now a global commodity. I am not sure exactly how this makes a difference to us but.....

Others speculate about the bark beetles. 

But the craziest theory I heard yesterday is that Mendocino is holding back supply to make the price go up. I have included a handy chart of the lumber futures at the bottom of this post, and you tell me if you think that's plausible. Prices are literally at a 40 year high. Why woUld you not make money hand over fist now, for the ~chance~ at a higher price tomorrow. More likely the price will collapse and you get nothing.

Yet another theory is that we are in a building boom. Which also seems not quite the reason either. I have included housing starts at the very bottom and we have just returned to the midline.

All I know is that while our country is seizing up, Biden is out fighting social justice. Career politicians don't understand supply chains, and I'm looking forward to this next chapter. People deserve what they voted for.

 

Even if there was wood, half the hammers are sold out.

 

This has gotten worse since last week not better.

 

Paint supply looks thin, but it's probably a Texas problem because of the chemical plants shutting down last month. But all over the store, the top shelves are starting to look SUPER thin. Normally Home Depo is packed to the rafters. And they are pulling product to the front of shelves to make them look fuller. I mean, it not quite Fry's electronics yet... but if they start moving shelves to make the store look less empty - things gonna get crazy.

And this ALL was from before Shippy Mcstuckface caused a traffic jam.

 

Hope you don't want a chainsaw.

 

Or a leaf blower.

 

This is the point Trump unleashed the firehose of money.

 

Historical lumber futures chart. Source.

Housing starts. Source. You have to hit the max button.

I'm pretty amazing in a crisis..... but afterwards I sort of fall apart. I was out all last year experiencing everyones fears and now I'm just sort of all used up.

No one was there in the housing crisis because none of us had ever seen that before, but I wanted to try and be a form of stability for people this time around.

I just need some time. Especially because IMO this isn't over by a long shot. This blog takes a lot of energy (as meager as it is), and I just don't have it right now.

Turns out my buddy who sold his house for 100k over asking is a chump because two towns over, houses are selling for 300k over asking.

I read an article claiming that some were selling for as high as 400k over, but I didn't find an example of that. But I did find a couple of them in the 300 over range.

I guess with a money printer everything is now possible.

You can definitely expect a bitchy post about this.

I have been mostly staying out of the reopening conversations because I have always advocated different places doing different things. (I can dredge old posts if needed)  If we all do the same thing, it takes longer to get through the mistake phase. I may not agree with certain things, but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried. Everyone has enough information to make their own choices now. And honestly the fastest way to get through this is to nut up and let people go. They will figure it out.

Having said that - I just learned last night you can still get arrested in Texas for not wearing a mask. Which was quite a shock. For months every person ~not living~ in California was crowing about how WE had the strictest rules. Despite a simple google search would have shown we have been open many times. In the Fall we even had indoor dining.  But everyone wants to make a political point and made it seem like we have all been cowering in our houses the whole year. It's super frustrating because TWO days ago Fox News was still repeating this lie of us being locked down hard the whole time. It would literally take two seconds to see that is not true.

For MONTHS every news story has been about how California has the same numbers as this State or that STATE despite "the most severe restrictions." When in reality life is more nuanced. Right? We have all the mandates, but no one gets arrested! Look. Let's do a google search with exactly the same criteria. Here it is for Texas. And here it is for California.

The only way to get arrested in California for Covid is having a huge underground party. We have been ticket only pretty much the whole time. And I've never heard of ANYONE getting a ticket. But I have heard of hair dressers getting arrested. IN TEXAS!

So.... I would say that California has NOT had the strictest rules obviously.

Think you are haunted by customer service surveys?

A couple of weeks ago my husband created Five Star Husband Service. Now every time I ask for something he says - Can I count on you for a 5 star rating?

Oh FFS - yes.

Is "Temporary Inflation" A Real Thing?.

When it's printed out of thin air.  I mean, really - why do any of us need to work anymore?

Whenever I see a story like this I immediately think - oh..... you haven't bought anything lately. Because you can't believe the mundane shit you have to wait for these days. If you don't walk out of the store with it in your grubby little  hands,  you are gonna get "the talk". 

You can see it in their faces immediately. And they must be getting "the shit beat out of them". I've been making their lives easier by saying I know it's going to take forever. I've been going out of my way to be patient because I know everyone is just trying to get by the best they can. But even I am like - what the ehll., And I wouldn't even consider myself a patient person. But it doesn't help anyone to get a stick up your butt.

Either the vaccines work and we open wide up and relatively quickly we hit an air pocket., or the variants win and ....... I don't know.