Monday, April 13, 2009

Down, but not out!

Something took out my wireless router last Friday and knocked the broadband modem for a loop. The modem seems to be working ok now but it leaves my home network non-existent. So this is being posted from my work. I will find a replacement soon, it just was not a planned expense and there is currently no money available for replacement. All the computers seem fine and I can get the network up and running for about 30 seconds, and then the signal collapses and I lose connection. Yeah, I tried all the normal troubleshooting techniques. I bought it used, so perhaps this is the end of its life.

Go Navy! Go Seals! Yeah team for taking out those asshole Somali pirates. Don’t stop now! They ought to bombard that port city Eyl, level it to the ground. Sink every fishing boat and ship found on the coast, and any of the Somalis found at sea should be hung on the spot. They are no different than any Islamic terrorist scum, and should be exterminated where ever they are found!

The weather has turned cold again and all I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep. My sleep pattern has been so badly disrupted that I am having a horrendous time getting back on schedule. I am in bed by 3:30pm most days because I can’t stay awake, and someone or something usually wakes me before I get thru REM state. This makes me feel ill for a short period and since the edge has been taken off my sleepiness, I will be up until 11:00pm! Noises from the street are the biggest culprits, followed by teenagers searching for the phone (portable), looking for bus money, etc…

I am preparing for meltdown such as I can on my constricted budget, and still am able to sock away canned food. My upright freezer is malfunctioning and stuff is starting to thaw. My chest freezer is crammed full as well as the freezers in both reefer’s. So I am eating the food left in the freezer on a daily basis, as long as it isn’t fully thawed. This model Kenmore (253.XXXX) has known problems so I will be trying to get the needed components to facilitate repairs. My chest freezer is over 31 years old and still runs great!

I have been preparing a “Selous Scout’s Survival Manual” for my youngest son. I keep adding pages to it as I go. The information is more geared to surviving post Apocalypse instead of the same old stuck out in the woods, waiting to be rescued survival books. It has complete teardown, cleaning and reassembly info for his chosen firearm. Information on making moccasins, Hexa-yurt building instructions, plans for building a 12x16 stick frame cabin, edible local plants and so on. Good, solid, use it today type info. It will be growing as I find relevant info for it.

Now I need to get to work as the “Sheeple” parade has started.

12 comments:

  1. 'puter problems re always a pain in the backside.

    Not getting the right kind of sleep is a bummer...hope you can get back on your routine soon.

    Have a better day, my man!

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  2. Hope ya get back up and running soon. 'Puter problems suck....

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  3. if you have health insurance, it might be a good idea to have a sleep study done.

    i got one because my snoring was driving my wife crazy. she wasn't getting enough rest, and it turns out i wasn't either.

    i was drinking lots of iced tea, coffee, and soft drinks during my waking hours, but would still fall asleep right away when i went to bed. when i was young, all that caffeine would have kept me up for days on end.

    the horrible snoring was the key. i can snore even while i'm lying on my side. the soft tissue in the back of my mouth and throat was closing my airway hundreds of times each night. it's called "obstructive sleep apnea". (the blockage of your airway forces you to halfway wake-up each time it happens) it might be a good idea to ask one of your sons if they've heard you snoring while you're trying to sleep.

    the sleep specialist prescribed a portable medical device for me called a CPAP. (continuous positive airway pressure) YMMV, surgery is another alternative. (my CPAP is designed to operate with a deep cycle battery for off grid/post SHTF use)

    some patients have a hard time getting accustomed to wearing the mask which is part of the device, but if you can, they say using it will make a new man out of you. it's hard to say if i've become a new man, but i do feel more rested than i did before starting the therapy.

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  4. I had a sleep study done in 2002. They diagnosed me with acute sleep apnea. I have used a CPAP device ever since. It made a world of difference in my life after I got used to usinfg it and find it difficult if not impossible to sleep laying down without it!

    I wish to purchase a backup unit to have in case of a breakdown. This year perhaps? Mine also has the 12 volt adaptor for mobile use. i have use it with one of the jump start devices over a period of two days without recharging the jump start. I don't feel it would have lasted 3 days however. A good deep cycle battery with a adequately sized solar panel would keep the CPAP machine happy indefintely I'm thinking.

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  5. maybe they need to adjust your pressure. (as if you weren't under enough already) they increased mine. soft foam earplugs may also help, and a blindfold for extra darkness. (the sound of the machine is soothing also, almost like "white-noise", but not as good as "ocean")

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  6. Three squirts of Breathe Right
    Snore Relief quiets my snoring
    so much that my wife can live with it.

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  7. I hope you are just down and not out yourself. I sure have enjoyed your cache series and look daily for the next installment. be well

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  8. Just touching base as well - man, I hope you get your problems squared away - whats doing with Henry!

    And now, back to our program . . .

    Seriously - get better quick.

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  9. I don't know how I missed this post. But I wanted to applaud the stuff you're preparing for the youngun.

    I am blessed in that YoungSon is survival-bent and since he lives away, that makes me feel a tiny bit better. Although it still makes me giggle just a bit when we walk through the woods and he pops something in his mouth that he finds growing. :)

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  10. Re. Somali's, I'm as justice oriented as the next guy, and it is probably true that SOME of the pirates are criminals at heart - but the primary culprit in this sad story are the Asian fishing fleets that took advantage of Somalia's coastal waters - Somalia being essentially a failed state has no resources to protect it's assets. Knowing this, the Asian fishing fleets not only fish there illegally, but strip the oceans bare by fishing in an illegal fashion. The original confrontations by the Somali pirates were simply to try and drive away these interlopers.

    So essentially, the rest of the world taught the Somalis how to behave in this regard - kick'em while they're down, and take what you can while you can.

    Somali appealed for help to the civilized "first world" nations, but none was forthcoming. Their status put them below the radar. And we COULD have done something to help them protect their resources.

    Don't piss on my leg about being a bleeding heart liberal weenie - because that's not me. I think it takes a tougher person to look in the mirror of society and man up to one's mistakes.

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  11. Somali's are their own worst enemies, and have been since the fall of their government. When they can get their shit together and start co-operating with one another instead of killing each other all of the time, then maybe I might feel sorry for them. Until then, forget it!

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