My Darling Wife sent me to the HEB grocery store for some milk and eggs, and I told her I'd also go to Walgreens for some Sudafed for the kids. She said HEB now has a little card on the shelf which you can take to the pharmacy to purchase the evil, restricted pseudoephedrine. I thought that was pretty spiffing, so I stopped at HEB first.
They have the cards and it looks like they have their act together. I snagged a card for Children's Sudafed syrup, walked over and handed it to the clerk at the pharmacy counter. The PFY told me "this product has been back-ordered, for weeks." I told him "Then you need to give Walgreens a call, because they know where to get it!" and left to go buy my other groceries. This, by the way, comes after they (lying) told my Darling Wife that both Sudafed and Tavist had been discontinued by the manufacturers.
I went to Walgreens and they had the Sudafed in its usual location, clearly visible from the pharmacy counter. I mentioned the foregoing to the pharmacist, and she said that Walgreens has multiple suppliers. I said "How hard was that?" and showed my State-issued Guaranteed Not To Be A Felon 4 Sho card and paid, and took my thank-you-Jesus-for-this-wonderful-stuff medicine home.
I think maybe HEB doesn't want to sell Sudafed.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Incandescent Light Bulbs vs. Halogen Lamps
The question has been decided, and quite emphatically. I went to the local grocery and bought a name-brand halogen "60 watt replacement" bulb off the shelf for $2. That was surprisingly low, as I had braced myself to spend up to $4 for one bulb. Our regular incandescent bulbs we use at the house cost $1 each.
I pulled the "daylight" incandescent with the fancy neodymium glass out of the living room fixture, and installed a halogen that looks for all the world like a standard bulb. I switched it on.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion!
That was all she wrote. I have the feeling if people who use the premium daylight incandescents all tried these halogens, they would switch over to halogen to the 99th percentile.
********
For the record, the old bulb was a Sylvania Daylight 60 watter, and the new is a Sylvania Super Saver 43 watt halogen. This is as high-end as HEB gets for light bulbs, and it appears to be quite good-enough. In the garage/workshop it's bright like the sun with a DOZEN 40-watt 4-foot fluorescent tubes on the ceiling. We do have one compact fluorescent in the house. It died last night, probably out of spite. It will be replaced with another CFL because it suits the application: slow warm-up prevents sudden BRIGHT LIGHT! BRIGHT LIGHT! action during 03:00 restroom visits. I'm not really against fluorescents, but I am against mandating their use where it is possibly hazardous, unhealthy, and otherwise inappropriate. As for the environmental benefits of CFL bulbs: humbug!
I pulled the "daylight" incandescent with the fancy neodymium glass out of the living room fixture, and installed a halogen that looks for all the world like a standard bulb. I switched it on.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion!
That was all she wrote. I have the feeling if people who use the premium daylight incandescents all tried these halogens, they would switch over to halogen to the 99th percentile.
********
For the record, the old bulb was a Sylvania Daylight 60 watter, and the new is a Sylvania Super Saver 43 watt halogen. This is as high-end as HEB gets for light bulbs, and it appears to be quite good-enough. In the garage/workshop it's bright like the sun with a DOZEN 40-watt 4-foot fluorescent tubes on the ceiling. We do have one compact fluorescent in the house. It died last night, probably out of spite. It will be replaced with another CFL because it suits the application: slow warm-up prevents sudden BRIGHT LIGHT! BRIGHT LIGHT! action during 03:00 restroom visits. I'm not really against fluorescents, but I am against mandating their use where it is possibly hazardous, unhealthy, and otherwise inappropriate. As for the environmental benefits of CFL bulbs: humbug!
Faint Glimmers of Hope
The freshmen and newly-minted-conservative Republicrats in Congress are giving me reason to think that it may not be the end of the Republic just yet. They are making noises anyway about not raising the debt ceiling (now that you and I have officially reached $14T in the hole). They are proposing new rules for the House. Sure, rules (like Speaker Pelosi's Pay-as-you-Go rule) are easy enough to waive for every bill, but they sound sincere. They are even looking to poke a sharp stick in Obama's eye by staging a vote to repeal Obamacare even before his State of the Union Address.
It looks like they may actually be starting on the right track. Now if only they can avoid being bought by lobbyists, and avoid caving to calls for "tolerance and bipartisanship" from the people who shut them completely out of power for the last two years.
It looks like they may actually be starting on the right track. Now if only they can avoid being bought by lobbyists, and avoid caving to calls for "tolerance and bipartisanship" from the people who shut them completely out of power for the last two years.
Quote of The Day 01/04/2011
"The word "efforting" is prohibited for use under my roof, except in jest, and then only occasionally!" -me, 6 minutes ago
Efforting: it is not a word. It is what people say when they are too lazy to use the additional four or five words required to make "effort" make sense in a sentence. Saying "efforting" makes you sound like an ignoramus. Now, nod your head in agreeance and we can all move on to the next posting . . .
Monday, January 3, 2011
Gas Prices: Where Is The Outrage?
President Obama is getting his wish. He said he wanted gasoline prices to go to $4/gallon gradually (so it's not such a shock), and here we are creeping up through $3/gallon again. As the leftists in the press have their hero in office right now, this is not a problem like it was when the other guy's ox stood to be gored. Government interference with the energy market is screwing up the prices we pay for oil and gas. Still. This toying with our pocketbooks is something for which I previously criticized President Bush; but the treat-the-people-like-they're-stupid tactic has been brought out yet again. So, yet again, I will criticize.
The Department of the Interior says they will allow some drilling for oil to resume. The economy will take off like a shot now, surely!
Hold on there.
This is how the leftists try to convince the Useful Idiots out there that someone in D.C. has a clue what should be done. What should be done is briefly summed up as "Drill here, drill now, pay less" but there is a problem with that strategy. The problem is that the Democrats in Congress are beholden to watermelon environmentalist pressure groups. We CANNOT allow drilling here, now, for lower energy prices, because it prevents Democrats being supported by the leftist environmentalist-whacko base demographic. So what we'll do instead of "Something" is put out statements which sound nice but will have little short-term benefit.
When you tell a giant monster mega oil company they can't drill for oil anymore, they take their half-million-dollars-a-day-whether-they-are-drilling-or-not drilling platform somewhere they can, you know, actually drill. Scheduling this takes many many months. For Uncle to suddenly turn around and say "just kidding, come drill again!" will lead to relatively little effort in the short-term. Not only is it hideously expensive and time-consuming to relocate and start up a drilling rig, the payout is long-term. The roughnecks sometimes have to keep drilling for a while to produce a winner. It is even possible, if Exxon (or whoever) thinks Interior will turn right around and kick them off their oil lease again in six months
they
won't
bother
coming back. But you rubes in flyover country will hear that President Obama tried to get the oil companies to come play again but they wouldn't. The press can then whip up your feverish little mind to blame the Republicans now (closer to being) in power, and the Democrats escape blame for the damage their policies do. Great success!
Don't fall for it. Remember next November: incumbent politicians from BOTH parties allow the moratoria on new drilling to continue, year after year. Energy security? Is that a lobbying group?
Vote the bums out.
********
(spin)
In Related news, President Obama has failed yet again to live up to his promises to the environmental movement, and declared he will allow deep water oil drilling just like the Deepwater Horizon was doing before it blew up in the gulf . . .
The Department of the Interior says they will allow some drilling for oil to resume. The economy will take off like a shot now, surely!
Hold on there.
This is how the leftists try to convince the Useful Idiots out there that someone in D.C. has a clue what should be done. What should be done is briefly summed up as "Drill here, drill now, pay less" but there is a problem with that strategy. The problem is that the Democrats in Congress are beholden to watermelon environmentalist pressure groups. We CANNOT allow drilling here, now, for lower energy prices, because it prevents Democrats being supported by the leftist environmentalist-whacko base demographic. So what we'll do instead of "Something" is put out statements which sound nice but will have little short-term benefit.
When you tell a giant monster mega oil company they can't drill for oil anymore, they take their half-million-dollars-a-day-whether-they-are-drilling-or-not drilling platform somewhere they can, you know, actually drill. Scheduling this takes many many months. For Uncle to suddenly turn around and say "just kidding, come drill again!" will lead to relatively little effort in the short-term. Not only is it hideously expensive and time-consuming to relocate and start up a drilling rig, the payout is long-term. The roughnecks sometimes have to keep drilling for a while to produce a winner. It is even possible, if Exxon (or whoever) thinks Interior will turn right around and kick them off their oil lease again in six months
they
won't
bother
coming back. But you rubes in flyover country will hear that President Obama tried to get the oil companies to come play again but they wouldn't. The press can then whip up your feverish little mind to blame the Republicans now (closer to being) in power, and the Democrats escape blame for the damage their policies do. Great success!
Don't fall for it. Remember next November: incumbent politicians from BOTH parties allow the moratoria on new drilling to continue, year after year. Energy security? Is that a lobbying group?
Vote the bums out.
********
(spin)
In Related news, President Obama has failed yet again to live up to his promises to the environmental movement, and declared he will allow deep water oil drilling just like the Deepwater Horizon was doing before it blew up in the gulf . . .
Trashy Detective Mystery Part IV
Today at lunchtime I called Former Trash Co., Inc. and talked to "Erica." She said my Darling Wife had called and canceled our trash service on the 16th of last month. That was a bit of a surprise, because I had told said Darling Wife that I was calling Former Trash Co. as I dug an old bill out of the filing cabinet this morning . . . and she didn't mention having called them to cancel the service. So I got off the phone with "Erica" and called my Darling Wife, who said they were putting words in her mouth. I called Former Trash Co., and spoke with "Mikaela" and got a slightly different word the second time around.
It turns out this was the person who processed my account closing. It was done at the order of the City of Davesville. The effective date of the cancellation of our service: Last Friday, the day after I got the notice from Davesville that we had to (or else!) use the service the fascisti in Davesville pick for us. This lady who wasn't lying straight out her [deleted] was kind enough to give me the direct line to the Person to Speak To in Davesville. So I called them.
The person at the City office was, at that moment, looking at my "Unhappy Camper" letter. She was all cheerful and nice, and said we could feel free to leave our trash bags at the curb until New Trash Co., Inc. Local 743 gets around to bringing us a new trash can. That'll be about a week. Contrast this with the DAY it took Former Trash Co. to get us a new trash can, but okay it's da gummint, what are you going to do?
I'm going to hope the dogs don't get into our trash bags.
The lady at the City asked about the recycle bin I didn't order. I told her I could grow a potato plant in it if they really wanted to send us one, and confirmed that we could order a recycle bin if we wanted to, later.
So there it is. My tax dollars hard at work.
********
She didn't say anything about the deposit.
It turns out this was the person who processed my account closing. It was done at the order of the City of Davesville. The effective date of the cancellation of our service: Last Friday, the day after I got the notice from Davesville that we had to (or else!) use the service the fascisti in Davesville pick for us. This lady who wasn't lying straight out her [deleted] was kind enough to give me the direct line to the Person to Speak To in Davesville. So I called them.
The person at the City office was, at that moment, looking at my "Unhappy Camper" letter. She was all cheerful and nice, and said we could feel free to leave our trash bags at the curb until New Trash Co., Inc. Local 743 gets around to bringing us a new trash can. That'll be about a week. Contrast this with the DAY it took Former Trash Co. to get us a new trash can, but okay it's da gummint, what are you going to do?
I'm going to hope the dogs don't get into our trash bags.
The lady at the City asked about the recycle bin I didn't order. I told her I could grow a potato plant in it if they really wanted to send us one, and confirmed that we could order a recycle bin if we wanted to, later.
So there it is. My tax dollars hard at work.
********
She didn't say anything about the deposit.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Wake Up, Loud People!
Senator "loud people" Lindsay Graham, possibly in an attempt to compensate for having a girly name, is proposing permanent bases in A-stan. Great. Just what we need. MORE troops permanently forward-deployed.
How about this instead: Posit terms that, when met, mean we will have "won" in Afghanistan*. Then install new Rules of Engagement that allow actual combat. Follow this with enough troops and kickassery to actually meet the terms of "victory" whatever those might be, then bring all our men home.
Qui bono?
If they start making actual serious appropriations committee-level noises about this, it will be time to call out the loud people. For now, just realize this is what some of your Elected Heroes want to do with our money.
********
*Raise your hand if you can name our strategic objectives in Afghanistan.
How about this instead: Posit terms that, when met, mean we will have "won" in Afghanistan*. Then install new Rules of Engagement that allow actual combat. Follow this with enough troops and kickassery to actually meet the terms of "victory" whatever those might be, then bring all our men home.
Qui bono?
If they start making actual serious appropriations committee-level noises about this, it will be time to call out the loud people. For now, just realize this is what some of your Elected Heroes want to do with our money.
********
*Raise your hand if you can name our strategic objectives in Afghanistan.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
WTH That's Just WRONG.
I was looking for some nasty-nose information and stumbled on the website of the Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin. There, I found this messed-up image:
That right there is why Austin and the Central Texas region would be uninhabitable without modern chemistry. You are looking at (approximately) 1.27 brazillion little bits of pollen coming off ONE ashe juniper ("mountain cedar") tree. That, plus the 32 gallons of water an adult cedar consume every day, are reason enough for me to be willing to join up if someone starts a "CHOP EM ALL DOWN DAY" in Central Texas.
Also wrong:
We didn't know what the mystery plant in the back yard was until just now. That'd be ragweed, to which my Darling Wife is allergic.
There is no such thing as fresh, clean air in Central Texas.
All images are taken from NoSneezes.com, home of the Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin. Click on any image to see it full size.
Winner of the most-amusing website name of the day: People Against Cedars
That right there is why Austin and the Central Texas region would be uninhabitable without modern chemistry. You are looking at (approximately) 1.27 brazillion little bits of pollen coming off ONE ashe juniper ("mountain cedar") tree. That, plus the 32 gallons of water an adult cedar consume every day, are reason enough for me to be willing to join up if someone starts a "CHOP EM ALL DOWN DAY" in Central Texas.
Also wrong:
We didn't know what the mystery plant in the back yard was until just now. That'd be ragweed, to which my Darling Wife is allergic.
There is no such thing as fresh, clean air in Central Texas.
All images are taken from NoSneezes.com, home of the Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin. Click on any image to see it full size.
Winner of the most-amusing website name of the day: People Against Cedars
Providian & Martha Kunkle: Chutzpa!
It takes a pretty high degree of disrespect for the law and the customer to have robo-signers in your company lie to the judge on a routine basis. It takes a special kind of send-me-to-jail-please chutzpa to have as one of your robo-signers a woman who has been fifteen years DEAD. Wow. From Naked Capitalism
It Gets Better. It Gets Better.
Sometimes, a parent must tell himself things like this, to maintain his sanity. Three nights running, for at least half of a nonstandard (short, from staying up late) sleeping period, #4 has been unable to sleep without being held comfortably by a parent. No, we don't have a manual on comfortable positions. No, what is comfortable now will not necessarily be comfortable in half an hour. No, you can't so much as slump your head on a couch pillow to fall asleep, even if the baby is mostly lying on couch pillows, because it will move (and thereby awaken) him. No, the other children will not sleep past dawn, regardless of how much rest you have managed to get.
Six months almost exactly, and a little cold, and a whole frikken MOUTHFUL of teeth trying to come through at once. It gets better, eventually. It gets better. It gets better . . . .
Six months almost exactly, and a little cold, and a whole frikken MOUTHFUL of teeth trying to come through at once. It gets better, eventually. It gets better. It gets better . . . .
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