ska->rocksteady->reggae

Yah, I was going to just get a board cut but this is an excuse to buy a new tool, right?

Eliminating an entire sense (touch) from being used to control things seems to be foolish.

Printing out tickets as a backup. I do this for concerts and travel because then I don’t have to worry about batteries dying, wifi/roaming not being available, getting logged out and having trouble getting back to the ticket, etc.

I also print out maps when doing wilderness backpacks because even if you download the map you’ll burn through your battery life well before the hike is over but a paper map is just as good. If I really need to confirm my location I can occasionally turn on the app and shut it off. I keep the maps in a gallon ziplock so water isn’t an issue.

Carpenter ants will chew wood into something resembling foam.

I’m trying to convince myself I need a table saw to replace a rotten board in my deck.

Similar to auto repairs. If you have one vehicle and you start working on it make sure you have uber or a neighbor willing to drive you to the parts store because you forgot a part/wrong one.

Reminds me of dental issues too. If you bust a tooth it will ALWAYS happen from Fri evening-Sun when the dentist is off.

Depends on the condition of the home. Make sure you get a good inspection before buying and understand the ramifications of anything they find if you go ahead with a purchase. Things that eventually need to be replaced, likely in the lifetime you’ll own it, are the water heater, refrigerator (assuming it is cheaper than replacing the compressor), HVAC and roof. Not terrible but you have to budget for it. Since you say you live in a “fixer upper” I’d say just keep it so it doesn’t leak. Don’t worry about ants as long as you keep all of your food sealed up and they aren’t carpenter ants. If they are then you need an exterminator.

You WILL find the occasional bug, odd noise, scheduled repairs and replacements, etc. These aren’t causes for panic. I can do most basic repairs but I leave plumbing and bigger electrical jobs to pros because they require specific skills, familiarity with the issues and lots of tools I wouldn’t need again. Yard maintenance is just work. I call it my “gym” lol.

My mortgage payments will go down over time unlike rent that just goes up. On the downside my property taxes and insurance costs have gone up as the value of my home has gone up. I have great neighbors also.

Doomscroll the news, play some games, check if there are any updates to social media accounts. If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll follow rabbit holes on wikipedia or google some obscure science subjects.

To get all of the tricks remaining in the deck

I knew a professor who named his dog “Sweety” just to annoy his wife because he called her that also.

While trying to come up with a name for our previous cat I kept getting shot down by my wife. “Nah…nah…” One day we were walking through the supermarket and she asked again and I facetiously looked around and saw a sign in the produce section and said, “How about Kiwi?” We both realized that we liked it. lol

Rub that belly!

Adopted our furball from a foster family after their original owners couldn’t keep him. We liked the name and kept it.

I’m afraid we’re accumulating genetic defects and weaknesses because we’re not allowing them to be weeded out anymore.

If they are so pro life I’d expect them to support universal healthcare but they very rarely do.

In theory, a musician should be protected against abuse of their music.

You mean like with copyright (IP) laws?

Patents and copyright originated to protect everyone. Charles Dickens complained that his books were copied rampantly. Without them any invention by the little guy would be immediately stolen and ramped up into production at levels the little guy can never match. Why would I work on anything if it can just be stolen with no legal protection? Universities and SMEs constantly issue patents, if they can’t commercialize them themselves they can license them to someone who can.

chances are you cannot enjoy as much information and content as one born in a richer country.

What? The internet is full of free info.

The real issues are things like:

1. Insanely long copyright periods. Sorry but your grandkids/Disney shouldn’t profit from your work 70+ years later.

2. Patent camping. Either do something with it or lose it.

3. Patent lawsuit factories. The patent office makes money off of fees and is too quick to hand out patents that are overly broad or trivial. You have businesses that just hoard patents with no intention to use them except to sue others.

Well yah. The alternative is barter and farmers only need so many cell phones and software developers.

When you look at revolutions the tipping point was always the threat of going hungry and losing your home. That makes everyone desperate.

The left has become so focused on illegal immigrants and identity politics that they have abandoned working class economic issues and rural white voters and it has cost them elections.