What are you doing today?

[GaryE]

I looked out last night to a star filled sky, so I started watching for the predicted northern lights. Before anything happened, the cloud cover moved in and I might as well have been a bedbug looking up at a mattress.
Maybe tonight will clear...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

It was cloudy here last night too. Oh well, it was still a nice walk up the hill.

 

[Back in the fold]

Silly me . I’ve seen northern lights before and it didn’t really thrill me . Years ago I went to a slide show in a climbing shop that a guy gave who had been to The Cirque of The Unclimbable's in the Yukon , specifically the Lotus Flower Tower . This guy was a fantastic photographer and his slides of the aurora’s he saw up there were breathtaking . Nothing you will see in the lower 48 will come remotely close . What impresses me is a night sky in the mountain backcountry far from city lights . You get up high around 10,000 feet and you will see stars like you can’t believe . They even give off light that brightens the night . @WhistlingBadger I know you’ve seen this .

 

[Lanpenn]

But if you're addicted to buying fish you don't have room for there are negative consequences. Maybe not for the human, but for the fish.

On a related tangent, I've read some news stories this week concerning the 2018 Farm Bill. If you're not aware of that it's a law that did away federal regulations on hemp and hemp products as long as the products had a THC content below a certain percentage.
This has resulted in many avenues for industrial use of hemp as well as vapes, gummies, and drinks all containing THC and all perfectly legal and sold in the open for recreational use.

There is a faction of politicians that want to change or revoke the Farm Bill which would again make these products illegal. Among those in support for the bill remaining unchanged are a group of brewers and distilleries. Their argument is we've done this before (prohibition) and the industry didn't dry up and go away, it went underground and criminal. Think Al Capone and speak easy's. The alcohol producers say they have expertise in this sort of business conditions. I think they want a piece of the action. Maybe because I recently read a study that showed that drinking cannabis drinks reduced alcohol consumption by 60%.
This is a 180° flip from the 1980's. I don't know if any of you remember commercials on TV at that time from a group called Partnership For A Drug Free America. Guess who funded that group? Alcohol producers. They wanted a monopoly on the buzz market.
It gets even more interesting. The chief opponent of the Farm Bill, who want hemp to be recriminalized are major corporations like Kraft and Nestle. But I can't figure out why. Idon't see their motivation. You would think they would want it legal because they are the ones that produce Doritos and Twinkies.
In addition, Sen. Rand Paul has stated that if any attempt is made to change the Farm Bill, he would introduce legislation to raise the legal limit of THC to triple what the limit is now. I find this story fascinating and I can't wait to see what happens.

This is not political though it discusses politics. Please don't ding me for it.

I do not know if I'm addicted to fishkeeping. I simply do not have enough money and space to build an empire.

Speaking of this, my Trichogaster chuna (I think I'll call him Johann, honoring my German third great-grandfather) started to build bubble nests. My Betta splendens took more than two years to do that, and he did it only once in his lifetime. The reason for that contrast? I do not know. Now, Johann...

Moon, once again

Our yoga group class is on the last Sunday.

 

[jaylach]

Was interesting... Major power outage that put north east Wyoming and parts of Montana and South Dakota without electricity for around 6-7 hours. Power came back on a little after getting real dark so, at least, it was good timing.

I have to shake my head at some people in my apartments as they were complaining about management not doing anything. What were they supposed to do?

 

[Back in the fold]

I have to shake my head at some people in my apartments as they were complaining about management not doing anything. What were they supposed to do?

Well they could certainly have had the decency to declare that the sky was falling .

 

[jaylach]

Well they could certainly have had the decency to declare that the sky was falling .

Speaking of the sky I'm ticked at myself. I like photography, and with the power out, I could have got some good shots of the night sky but right as I thought of it the power came back up. Even at ~3700 feet altitude there are enough town lights to wipe out most of the star field.

The outage didn't really bother me much. Did some reading on my MS Surface and, when the battery started getting low, I plugged in the the USB port on my car jumper box to charge. While it was charging I just booted the Windows side of my Mac Book Air and played some games.

 

[GaryE]

I have friends who are moving here and have bought a house. I'm taking care of things until they officially retire and head east in a few months. I spent yesterday afternoon at their house waiting for a furniture delivery for them. It was a house without internet, since it's not lived in. The truck was delayed, but I had done something old school and brought a book. I have a lot of bookshelves here, and I've decided to make reading a part of my routine. I've read every book here, but some were forty years ago.
I got through most of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - hardboiled detective fiction with a strong backbone to it. I find I don't read for the plot, but for how the plotting was done. The technique of the writing is fun to break down.
Next I think I'll revisit Margaret Atwood. Then Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Brendan Behan and Raymond Carver. The other day I realized I'd spent 2 hours idly looking at Facebook reels, and in that time, only a couple had been intelligent and actually entertaining. Life's too short to intentionally look at stupid when smart is all around.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I simply do not have enough money and space to build an empire.

Yeah, I have the same problem. I also lack the connections to fulfill my dream of being appointed Viceroy of India. I guess I'll just stick to teaching music.

 

[gimme30]

I also lack the connections to fulfill my dream of being appointed Viceroy of India.

You have a better chance of that than I do of becoming the King of my own castle. Instead I'm subservient to the cat.

Back on topic, I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm going to make walls and a raised platform to terrace a tank that needs redoing, with something called Sculpey.
Having never worked with clay before and not being particularly 'artsy' I expect it to go badly.

 

[Back in the fold]

I bought a bicycle . I want to see how little I can possibly use the car . It should be easy . I have only myself to buy groceries for and I eat the same thing almost all the time so trips to the grocery store should be easy . Winter will be hit or miss . I will have to use the infernal combustion machine occasionally but the goal is to see how much dust it can gather .

 

[MattW]

There's a place stateside that has always intrigued me that doesn't allow cars. Looks like a very peaceful place.

The US island with no cars and one horse for every person

In the midst of "the car capital of the world", there's a serene vehicle-free island home to 600 people, 600 horses and a once-upon-a-time way of life.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Innesfan]

There's a second Manhattan Island, smaller and lesser known, named Roosevelt Island. Nestled in the East River, it can be accessed by aerial tramway, pedestrian bridge, subway and auto. But if you arrive by car, you can only go as far as a parking lot on the north end of the island. The rest of the island is car-free. Its 12,000 residents--who have some of the best skyline views of Manhattan ever-- walk or bicycle to the shops, school, post office etc. It's officially part of the Borough of Manhattan--but no cars.

That's Roosevelt Island in the middle, Manhattan to the right, Queens to the left.

 

[jaylach]

I bought a bicycle . I want to see how little I can possibly use the car . It should be easy . I have only myself to buy groceries for and I eat the same thing almost all the time so trips to the grocery store should be easy . Winter will be hit or miss . I will have to use the infernal combustion machine occasionally but the goal is to see how much dust it can gather .

You might take a look at groceries being delivered. I've been doing it for well over a year and am actually saving money.

 

[GaryE]

When I lived in central Montreal, I had no need of a car. I didn't even get a driving licence. Where I didn't walk, I took the bike. In really cold weather I used the bus or metro (subway). That was in my BMW days (bus, metro, walking).
I only learned to drive in my early thirties, when work took me to a small city with big hills and no real bus system. Learning was easy, but if you don't need a car, it's an expensive thing.
I was in great shape - legs from the bike and arms from the grocery store runs.

In my no longer in the city lifestyle, I have to put aside time to walk my 7km trails daily, and I have to drive around for most things. I may domesticate some deer and get a sled.