Temple, Texas.

I got up with the alarm at 4:55 a.m. today, having not made it to bed until 1:30. The final outcome of the past three years was 60 miles away. I’d resurrected my starter batteries Saturday, and one of the bartenders from the brewery I park near came by Sunday to flip up my liftgate, then biked off (I really need to regain upper body strength – I was flipping that thing up daily while building out the van.).

After which I canceled my internet service and returned my 5G hotspot.

So, nothing left tying me to Austin, plenty of diesel in the tank from when last I drove in August 2024. And without A/C, it was imperative that I do the drive at the coolest part of the morning.

I got here at about 6:30, having gone on an accidental minor excursion before arriving at my new home. Then the malaise set in after getting on the bed. I’ve been mostly useless all day, but I managed to scarf down some Hamburger Helper one of the parents had cooked. This is the first time since 2023 that I’ve had fixed housing and all my possessions in tow.

By 11 a.m., the heat index was already 99F, so I think I timed this well.

I had a wildly different experience growing up in the '80s, although anecdotally, it was socioeconomic. There were dogs who were pets and inside most of the time, and then there were guard dogs people tried to slap a veneer of love on.

I hate the way the pendulum has swung all the way to “Pweshus needs to be in the produce aisle with Mommy.” And then dogs shit on the floor in grocery stores. I’d much rather have them in someone’s yard for 20 minutes than where I’m trying to buy fresh foods.

The “furbaby” phenomenon is marketing and gaslighting at its finest. The only reason people have gotten to the point that they think it’s appropriate to take a dog everywhere is that the endless growth machine saw lowering birthrates and figured recasting pets as children would partially offset slowing revenue on the human baby end.

Absolutely no one in the '80s thought it appropriate to bring a nonservice pet into a public place, and it’s not like people individually came up with the notion that this was now fine. But people don’t realize they’re being manipulated … it feels much better if you’re convinced that’s just who you are, and that’s all it takes.

This is, of course, the way a lot of things have gone in the past 40 years, but I generally don’t run into other such issues at HEB.

We were talking (there will be more to come on “we” elsewhere) today about planning locations for raised beds in the yard, but as this is Texas, the window for a summer harvest is closed, so there isn’t much of a rush.

Ideally, we could get in a fall planting and see what winter crops fare decently. I’ve been out of the gardening scene for over a decade, and I don’t even know what zone we’re in locally. There’s going to be a lot of remedial learning before I’m anywhere near what I once knew.

My main goal is always New Mexican strains of C. annum, followed by crucifers and Allia. And of course some herbs. I’ll happily put the effort into whatever else others would like, but here we get back to colocation and amendments, which I’m rusty as hell on.

Still, it’s fun to be thinking about such things again.

Months is just trying to optimize your first run. Then, you discover mods.

If you have your life affairs in order, you could try Factorio. Your friends and loved ones won’t see you for months.

It’s a shame I’m not out in Westlake. Running into Louis Rossman at HEB would be fun.

We can’t all be Avis. (Orville references welcome.)

I’d counter that I trust my data going through Sweden ahead of letting an American conglomerate gain access.

Bypass Paywalls Clean

It’s this damn Firefox extension … I pretty much don’t see paywalls anymore.

I would counter that I’m saving $1,500 a month by living in a van. As a cost, the VPN is a rounding error.

I mean, I’m using Mullvad. I don’t have the hardware to host my own VPN in a van, so this is my best approach. Could I host Wireguard locally? Sure. With access to alternating-current power.

I’m fine, thanks. It was just weird for her to revert to … whatever this was.

The dek gives the game away. The “future of the workforce” is all that matters. Why had we been doing all this gaining of knowledge in college all this time?

You know what the main difference between a girlfriend and a wife is? You remember the precise day you met your wife with the sizzling sear of a brand.

(I’d not brand my wife until later.)

Are you sure you can’t? Because when my phone was stolen last month, I came to terms with how much the modern world needs one to have one.

It appears I’m getting a new fridge. Which is helpful when trying not to spend $15 per day on food. Look at me, squandering my inheritance on dentures and avoiding paying for prepared food.

I’m still working on this idea that I can directly bite into things with my front teeth. You never forget how to ride a bicycle, but you can forget how to chew because of pain. And then, once I was bedentured, I hung out with a friend who took three bags of trash away. And that was just Monday.

Damn. Well, thus ends this excursion. At least I didn’t end up in Iran first.