Another Shameless Attempt to Offload Trivial and Highly Optional Travel Expenses Onto My Adoring Fans

These days, a lot of podcasters, bloggers, online sex workers, etc. seem to treat their Amazon Wish Lists as major profit centers. At least that's the impression I get when every post or video seems to wrap up with "to support my work, buy me something from my Amazon Wish List."

I don't do anything like that on a regular basis, and often my Amazon Wish List is empty or nearly empty anyway.

Right now, there are two items on my Amazon Wish List. Both are highly optional, things I don't care a LOT about having, and both are time-sensitive (I leave on the relevant trip in about a week).

There's the six-pack of red fezzes (one for me, five for random other Libertarian National Convention attendees) that I've mentioned previously, and now there's a "stuffable" travel pillow.

I don't expect to have trouble fitting everything I want to take into my checked bag and "personal item."

I just think it's a cool idea to have a travel pillow that can also hold some clothing.

And even more that cool -- if someone wants to grab this for me, I'll stuff it with one full change of clothes (Thai fisherman pants, probably, plus a t-shirt or Henley, socks, and underwear.

Which would solve a potential problem I've had in the past but not lately. That problem is sorry, for some reason your suitcase went to Seattle, Washington instead of Washington, DC, we'll have it to you in maybe a few days k thx bai.

So over the course of a four-day trip, I'd have two outfits instead of one, without having to shop. And they'd be light outfits of the "hand wash in the sink, hang to dry" type (so far as I can tell, no coin laundry at the hotel). Not ideal, but better than wearing the same thing for four days with no wash.

Pamper me, my public. ASAP. Oh, yeah, did I include the link to my Amazon Wish List?

Wordle 1061 Hint

Hint: Just one between your cheek and gum, says Joe Walsh (among others).

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First Letter: P

Yet Another Libertarian National Convention Update

I've been asked by a couple of friends why I think the LNC secretary has a bone to pick with me in particular as a delegate (she behind a credentials committee objection to my seating with Missouri on the basis of bylaws which she selectively quotes and -- seemingly intentionally -- misinterprets).

My answer: I don't think she does have a bone to pick with me in particular.

Ms. Harlos is not an idiot. She knows that "voting delegate" is the LEAST dangerous role I can fill. If I'm a voting delegate, I'm just one vote out of ~1000. If I'm not a delegate, I'll be out there doing the worker bee thing to support numerous delegates in taking back the party. And the seat I won't be in will almost certainly be taken by someone who votes similarly to the way I would (not identically, but an overall resemblance).

I just HAPPEN to be a convenient target for her attempts to set herself and the credentials committee up to replace the judicial committees of the state affiliates (and avenues of recourse available to those state affiliates for settling internal bylaws disputes) with their own preferences, in violation of the national bylaws.

Here's the thing: I'm going to be there.

I can be there doing the party's work directly as a voting delegate, or I can be there doing the party's work indirectly by helping one or more of the several groups that are trying to save the party from further centralization under the control of a hostile takeover cabal.

The latter would actually be more fun, as it would leave more time and opportunity to catch up with old friends, see sights, etc.

Wordle 1060 Hint

Hint: Think of today's Wordle as a math problem -- just keep adding.

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First Letter: A

Just Got Back From An Eye Exam ...

... and my ocular pressure, which has been in the "high normal" range for nearly two decades, is down a little.

I don't need three guesses to figure out the most likely reason (I'm also sleeping better and experiencing less rotator cuff pain).

Wordle 1059 Hint

Hint: Probably the most important ingredient in falafel, apart from chickpeas.

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First Letter: C

Wordle 1,058 Hint

Hint: The part of space found beyond the Kármán line.

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First Letter: O

Wordle 1057 Hint

Hint: We all have our ups and downs. Today's Wordle refers to the oceans' versions of same.

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First Letter: T

Disturbing ...

So I'm looking at straight razors. I've been considering buying one for some time. I actually have one, but it's probably about 100 years old and was originally my great-grandfather's.

This one (not an affiliate link) is interesting, but not really positively reviewed). Perhaps because of this in the description?

The blade is sharp. Be careful when using it to prevent children from touching each other.

I Am An Early Packer

I've already got my suit on the way to be dry-cleaned (I decided to go with my vintage linen suit rather than the more conventional light summer suit -- both of them were less than ten bucks at thrift stores).

I've also measured the suitcase I plan to take to make sure it meets the particular airline's size specifications. It does.

I've got most of the other clothing selected, and will make sure it all gets washed, etc. before I start packing, which will probably be next weekend. I've got a cheap pair of day-glo orange trunks on the way, as I hear the hotel has two pools. Jeans, old dad cargo shorts, t-shirts, red paisley blazer, etc. Beatle boots and my zero-drop barefoot shoes will be going. Other than my red NO PARTICULAR ORDER cap,  I'm still mulling the hat situation.*

I need to pick up a 1.5 liter bottle of Old Crow for a joyous resumption of the Biennial Attempted Alcohol Poisoning of the Hogarth event.

I'll probably start packing no later than next weekend. And, inevitably, I will remember something I missed at the last minute. Or forget that thing.

There's talk of a tattoo party, with everyone who wants one getting a commemorative design, and then maybe doing that for EVERY convention. Here's my first draft offering, designed using Free Tattoo Generator (not an affiliate link):

I like going places. But I tend to over-prepare.

* If you want to see six Libertarians wearing red fezzes on C-SPAN, I am willing to be one of those Libertarians and to give away five more, if anyone wants to buy the package of six on my Amazon Wish List. No biggie either way, but that will need to be soon if at all, so that when I pack I leave room for them.

Wordle 1056 Hint

Hint: For art, think "mixed." For news, one notional category is "mainstream."

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First Letter: M

Teh Krazy Just Isn't Stopping ...

... not even for a water break or to watch a nice sunset.

Now we've got an also-ran snake oil salesman whose 15 minutes expired months ago invited to the Libertarian National Convention.

I ... can't ... even.

Maybe we'll also get Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney and Tulsi Gabbard and Rosie O'Donnell and Whoopie Goldberg and one of those guys with a squeegee who wants to talk about Jesus and aliens while he cleans your windshield at a stoplight.

This, however, looks like fun. If you're going to be in DC, I hope to run into you there.

Wordle 1055 Hint

Hint: The driest red wine is usually a Cabernet Sauvignon; the driest steak to eat with it would be today's Wordle.

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First Letter: J

Libertarian National Convention Rumor

A highly placed source in a political party other than the Libertarian Party tells me that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will be coming to the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC, to be nominated by acclamation for president and vice president.

Yes, the above actually happened. Take it as you will.

I Already Have Several Hats ...

... at least one or two of which will go with me to the Libertarian National Convention.

However, @OldSuperManCat thinks that fezzes are required attire for the Trump campaign rally portion of the at-the-convention events.

Wearing fez hats for Trump and RFK Jr. The fez hats are a must.

— OldSuperManDadWithACat (@OldSuperManCat) May 7, 2024

I'm still not sure why.

However, in the interest of contributing to party unity, I've agreed to wear one fez, and give five away to other attendees, if anyone cares to  pay for them (they're available for shipment directly to me from my Amazon Wish List).

I'm holding space in my luggage for them, but only for a limited time.

Here's one of the hats I'll be rocking regardless:

Wordle 1054 Hint

Hint: Devout (or, alternatively, prone to public posturing about how devout you are).

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First Letter: P

Most of my Libertarian National Convention Updates Will Be Mostly Personal In Nature ...

At least until the convention opens and there is real news to share.

The latest personal:

The Libertarians of the Great State of Oklahoma have added me as an alternate to their delegation.

That's in addition to the Libertarians of the Great State of Missouri me selecting me as an alternate to their delegation.

The LNC secretary's tendentious misreading of Missouri's bylaws notwithstanding, I am clearly eligible to be an alternate under those bylaws for now, and to be a delegate if the Missouri delegation votes to seat me.

But Oklahoma's bylaws are even less susceptible to tendentious misreadings on that matter.

And really, my toes are tapping regardless of outcomes. In fact, if I'm not seated as a delegate, I'll have a lot more time to work for positive change in the party. That's probably worth far more than my one delegate vote would be.

I'm mostly just looking forward to seeing hundreds of old friends and making whatever positive contributions I can.

The latest party:

LNC member Beth Vest is suing for the removal of LNC chair Angela McArdle on facially true charges of various types of malfeasance, breach of fiduciary duty, self-dealing, etc. in violation of DC non-profit laws.

This suit is a chance for various LNC members to try to save themselves. If they throw Ms. McArdle under the bus now, they might have a chance of getting re-elected instead of going down with her sinking ship (yes, I realize that's a very mixed metaphor).

Wordle 1053 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle smells of age and mold.

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First Letter: M

Libertarian National Convention Note (with "LNC Secretary Has Poor Reading Comprehension and Doxxing Skillz" Goodness)

This is just a straight copy/paste of a Facebook post I put up after seeing some interesting news.

A note regarding the coming Libertarian National Convention:

The LNC's credentials committee has two jobs:

1. Receiving delegate lists from the state affiliates; and

2. Credentialing the names on those lists.

It is not a judicial body empowered to adjudicate claims regarding those state affiliates' bylaws (that's an internal matter for the affiliates). Nor does it possess any authority to reject or contest those delegate lists (that's the convention body's prerogative).

It has come to my attention that the LNC secretary believes otherwise. And that she apparently can't read Missouri's bylaws. And that she apparently thinks she knows where my wife lives and is registered to vote (she's incorrect on both) and that that's relevant (it isn't).

In fact, she's incorrect in believing I even have a "wife," at least with respect to gummint licensing. Tamara and I have been together for 24 years (we got together at the 2000 Libertarian National Convention), but never bothered with a marriage license, just a domestic partnership affidavit when that became necessary for things like job-related insurance benefits.

Wordle 1052 Hint

Hint: With a haircut, today's Wordle used to cost two bits.

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First Letter: S

Wordle 1051 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is often used to refer to a "sticker," but is actually something different.

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First Letter: D

A Question (and an Answer) On, But Not In, the Monthly AMA Thread

I've been privately asked -- more than once and not just lately -- why I answer (or even put up with) nasty, personal, fake "questions" in the monthly AMA thread, and why I don't just ban those who show up to flood said threads with said questions.

The answer to the first question is simple: An Ask Me Anything thread is not an Ask Me Only Questions I Like thread. I've advertised the former and intend to keep to it.

The answer to the second question is that I do sometimes ban people here ... after answering their questions.

The ice is not especially thin here, but if you stomp too hard and break that ice, you're going to disappear beneath the surface of the commenting water into cold, black silence. So you might want to keep that in mind.

Wordle 1050 Hint

Hint: Karl Marx tried to establish it on a labor-based formula; Ludwig von Mises correctly pointed out that it's subjective.

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First Letter: V

Wordle 1049 Hint

Hint: Think "Stevie Wonder" (as paired with "Paul McCartney").

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First Letter: E

Wordle 1048 Hint

Hint: The best thing done to bread. Ever.

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First Letter: S

When the Going Gets Weird, Libertarian National Convention Thread #6,312,971

A little while back, I suggested somewhere (maybe even right here on the blog) that seeing as how the Libertarian National Convention is taking place not far from the White House, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invite the President of the United States to drop by and say hello.

A few days ago, the chair of the Libertarian National Committee issued a public invitation to both the POTUS and the former POTUS to do so.

No, I'm not claiming credit for that -- the chair of the LNC has me blocked on social media and I have no reason to believe that she cares what I think about anything.

So anyway ...

Some people are pretty upset about this. I'm not, for various reasons.

One of those reasons is that if Trump is busy talking to a bunch of people who don't like him, don't support him, won't donate to him, and won't vote for him, he won't be busy talking to a bunch of people who MIGHT like him, MIGHT support him, MIGHT donate to him, and MIGHT vote for him.

Another is that if it turns out that a substantial portion of delegates fall into that latter category, that will out them and I'll know the Libertarian Party won't, for the foreseeable future, serve any useful purpose.

Thanks For Asking! -- 05/01/24

Mayday! Mayday! Yes, really, it's May Day. The workers of the world remain disunited so far as I can tell, and Marx's old and busted bit doesn't seem like the kind of thing to unite around anyway.

Ask me anything in the comment thread below this post and I'll answer in, or linked from, the same place.

Wordle 1047 Hint

Hint: A place where you might record your deepest personal thoughts.

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First Letter: D

Wordle 1046 Hint

Hint: You may need to explore the area around today's Wordle with a certain amount of stealth.

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First Letter: P

Lost Time ... A Sign of Early Dementia?

Doing something that's small, daily, and documented -- that is, my daily Wordle hint -- has revealed to me that I may have some kind of memory deficit.

Specifically, every so often, I will completely forget to do the day's Wordle and Wordle hint post. And forget that I forgot until the next day, when I'm doing the hint post and see that there wasn't one the day before.

As you've probably noticed, I've been less active on the blog this month for various reasons. But the "missed a day of Wordle" thing doesn't seem related -- it's happened in the past a time or three when I was more active and didn't have any specific stressors or distractions going on that would explain it.

Then again, I've been worried about the possibility of Alzheimer's, etc. since my late teens or early twenties, even though there's not any big family history, etc. I worked in an aluminum boat plant for a couple of years (1986-87), where the air was always full of aluminum dust, and saw an article claiming a link between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer's. That was what set off the life-long worry.

So who knows? Also, where am I and who the hell are you?

Wordle 1045 Hint

Hint: One form of today's Wordle results in fine beer; another used to get its alleged practitioners burned at the stake.

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First Letter: C

Less than a Month Until the Libertarian National Convention

Things:

1. I expected to be named an alternate in the Missouri delegation. I was (I've seen the submitted delegate list).
2. Endorsements from me may be a bad thing or a good thing. At the moment, I have endorsed two candidates -- Mimi Robson for LNC vice-chair (link coming when I know of one) and Shawn Levasseur for LNC secretary.
3. I will, of course, attempt to do some blogging and such from the convention. If that's something you want to support financially, see the right sidebar. One reader is already paying my air fare and hotel costs, and I think I have the other expenses in hand, so it's not a matter of dire need -- more a matter of how soon after I'll be able to get motorcycle school and a new vehicle purchase taken care of, as I've put those things off to make this trip (and I have a planned trip to Atlanta in July, for which I'd like to be riding a long-trip-worthy bike).

Wordle 1043 Hint

Hint: You may have one in your eye. If not and if you want one, shop for it during the day -- after twilight they're hard to find.

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First Letter: G

Wordle 1042 Hint

Hint: I'm usually inspired by Wordle, but today's is boring and tasteless.

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First Letter: V

Wordle 1041 Hint

Hint: To get started on today's Wordle, tell it a little bit about yourself.

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First Letter: I

Wordle 1040 Hint

Hint: The answer to today's Wordle isn't hidden, it's in plain sight.

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First Letter: O

Wordle 1039 Hint

Hint: The Red wanderer in a popular children's playground game of yore.

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First Letter: R

Wordle 1038 Hint

Hint: The most important use for today's Wordle just may be providing light entertainment for cats.

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First Letter: L

The HMO/PPO Healthcare System Is Not Geared Toward Listening To Patients

I'm not usually the one in my family who runs into that, but this week I was the one in my family who ran into that.

My primary care physician is leaving her practice within the network that provides my care (Tamara's insurance through her work). I had an appointment scheduled for her final day, but had to cancel that appointment due to the sudden travel you've previously been mentioned here.

So, I had to re-schedule with a new doctor.

The earliest available appointment is in late July. OK, no problem, I'm the one who canceled and these things take time.

BUT!

I had a bunch of bloodwork done a few days before the appointment I had to cancel.

So when I scheduled the replacement appointment for three months from now, I suggested in the scheduling web form that new labs be ordered, since the existing ones will be more than three months old.

Initial doctor's reply: We'll schedule labs after the initial appointment.

My response: There are several things on that lab report that my prior doctor wanted to discuss -- and I have reason to believe that the measurements will have changed by the time I see you.

Doctor's assistant's response: Labs will only be scheduled after we "establish care."

So basically I get to make a visit and pony up a co-pay for the entire purpose of having the following conversation:

Doctor: Hello, Mr. Knapp.

Me: Hello, doctor.

Doctor: I care!

Me: So do I!

Doctor: OK, get some lab work done and come back in three months.

Fortunately, I can do something about that. The measurements for worry -- that is, the ones the doctor who is leaving wanted to discuss -- are:

1. My A1C, which went way up for fully explicable reasons and which I expect to look a lot better three months from now.
2. Slighly low sodium, slightly low chloride, and slightly high alkaline phosphatase. I strongly suspect the first two have to do with me spending a lot of time out in hot weather doing yard work, drinking lots of water, and not drinking anything with electrolytes in it during the three days before my bloodwork. Not sure about the last one, but unless it is sustained I don't find it too worrisome in the absence of other markers for liver problems (I've also had my liver looked at in the last few years).

They can do an A1C at the doctor's office.

And I can get a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (which measures the items in #2) done for about $20 at an outside lab and just take the results with me to discuss with the doctor.

So not really a big hairy deal.

But it would have been easier on me, and likely not a big deal for the new doctor, to have just put in an order for new labs. And those doctor-ordered labs, unlike the ones I'll be getting done myself, would have been right there in the "MyChart" for the new doctor to see before I even get there, shortening the appointment time consumed by her looking at old labs and me showing her new labs.

Wordle 1037 Hint

Hint: Mr. Roger is apparently a very cheerful guy, but not someone you'd care to encounter while traveling by sea.

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First Letter: J

When Otherwise Good Organizations Support Very Bad Things

For the most part, I support the great work the Electronic Frontier Foundation does opposing Internet censorship, supporting the Fourth Amendment, etc.

But EFF just can't seem to get past the mistake of supporting one kind of Internet censorship scheme and one side in a fight over who gets a big corporate welfare subsidy.

"Net Neutrality" is worse than a solution looking for a non-existent problem. It's a real problem making up a non-existent problem to ride the coattails of.

It's trash. And EFF shouldn't support it.

Wordle 1036 Hint

Hint: To solve today's Wordle, let it shine (your thinking process, that is).

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First Letter: L

Wordle 1035 Hint

Hint: If you gamble on Wordle, today would be a good day to increase your bet.

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First Letter: R

Wordle 1034 Hint

 Hint: There are several sides to today's Wordle. Pick one.

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First Letter: F

Wordle 1033 Hint

 Hint: Ten percent for the big guy, biblically speaking.

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First Letter: T

Brief Libertarian National Convention Updates

• RFK Jr. has apparently given up on the idea that he can just waltz into the Washington Hilton and jitterbug out with the Libertarian Party's 2024 presidential nomination.
• While I have not seen the emergence of any "unified slate" of candidates to replace the current Libertarian National Committee regime, several good individual candidates are starting to come forward. More information coming on that as things develop.
• I've been notified of my acceptance as an alternate for the delegation from the great state of Missouri (where I lived most of my life prior to moving to Florida, and where I participated in the party as a member, county party official, state executive committee member, and candidate for / appointee to public office). Yay!
• I'm considering starting a No Particular Order Caucus in time to get literature, stickers, etc. printed up for distribution at the convention. Anyone who's interested in possibly financially supporting said printing (or in what the hell all that means), talk to me privately or in the comments.

Wordle 1032 Hint

 Hint: When shopping for ham, you may have to decide between this kind and "butt."

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First Letter: S

More or Less is Objective. Goldilocksism is Subjective.

I've talked about this before, but I'm seeing the same mistake again. This time it's Art Carden at EconLog:

Since public goods are non-rivalrous and non-excludable, we won’t get enough of them if we rely exclusively on the free market.

Wrong.

A free market will produce less, rather than more, of a good that is non-rivalrous and non-excludable.

Whether the amount produced is "too much," "too little," or "just right" is entirely a matter of subjective valuation.

Wordle 1031 Hint

 Hint: Any project requires certain tools and resources; today's Wordle refers to the process of acquiring those things.

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First Letter: E

Ritual Car Rental Complaint

You know the drill ...

This is such a frequent complaint, from so many people, for so many decades, that I don't see my little voice changing anything, so I'm not even going to bother naming the company (in part because the ladies we interacted with were so pleasant, etc., that I don't feel the need to slam them).

1. Tamara specifically reserved a medium-sized car -- not a compact, but not a large car or SUV.
2. When we arrived to get a car, we were told that they had none of those available ... for the drive she had specifically booked the reservation for, which was from St. Louis to Gainesville. They had a lot full of that type of car, just none they were willing to rent for non-local return.
3. So, they were going to "upgrade" us, at our expense. Which is what they ended up doing, although the additional expense was less than the initial quote, probably because we were about to walk out and go to another place.

The reasons Tamara booked a mid-size car were threefold:

1. There were only three of us, so we didn't need, say, a Lincoln Town Car or a Ford Explorer to comfortably hold five or six.
2. We weren't planning to haul a piano or anything. Just the luggage we brought when we flew in (one suitcase total plus our "personal item" carry-ons), plus a few things we picked up in St. Louis (a case of Fitz's root beer, a couple of vinyl LPs, and a few other, small, items). We didn't really need a cargo bay. The back seat and/or a trunk would have been more than sufficient.
3. We were driving about 900 miles and preferred a vehicle with good gas mileage.

What we got was a Ford Explorer.

That was not an "upgrade." There was nothing it had that we wanted or needed that the mid-size sedan wouldn't have had, it was less pleasant to drive (especially for Tamara, who is 4'10"), and it probably got at least 10 miles per gallon less than the sedan would have.

To put it a different way, instead of charging us extra for a supposed "upgrade," they should have been knocking the price down for sticking us with a car we didn't want, a car that we didn't need, and a car that cost us more to drive.

Just sayin' ...

Wordle 1030 Hint

Hint: This kind of gasbag sometimes has a good year.

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First Letter: B

Well, I'm Back Home ...

... safely and all that. Flew from Orlando to St. Louis early Thursday morning. Started the drive back to Gainesville yesterday around noon, stopping for the night just south of Chattanooga.

No significant negative incidents. Just a quick trip to visit our former neighbor who is preparing to move to Texas. My son badly wanted to see her, and her house (where he spent significant time as a child) one last time befor she left. We helped with packing, etc.

We hit a couple of favorite spots while in town, but nothing major, and just didn't have time to see a bunch of friends we'd have like to visit with.

I did score a copy of an album that I used to own and that had long since disappeared, by a band I saw live many times in Springfield, Missouri, for $2.99 at Vintage Vinyl, which was cool. That only happened because we stopped by Fitz's for root beer, across the street.

The hotel in St. Louis had terrible wi-fi, and by the time we got to the hotel in Georgia I was worn out, which is why you haven't really seen me.

Wordle 1026 Hint

Hint: If you have today's Wordle, you're already most of the way to having a nice cup of soup.

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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.

First Letter: B

Apologies Now ... and in Advance

Yes, I've been slacking a bit on the blog front.

It will probably be worse for the next few days, not just here but at the Garrison Center.

A family matter is taking me to St. Louis on Thursday and Friday. I generally write Garrison columns on Tuesday (that one just published), Thursday, and either Saturday or Sunday. There's a good chance that I will miss the Thursday column, as I will be up at oh-dark-thirty on Thursday, in the air Thursday morning, in St. Louis Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon, and arriving home late on Friday.

Sorry about that. On the other hand, if you happen to be in St. Louis on Thursday/Friday, maybe we can say hi in person!

Wordle 1025 Hint

Hint: You might have two answers in mind for today's Wordle. Try combining them into a single solution.

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First Letter: M

Wordle 1024 Hint

Hint: A subgroup of a species, or the process of creating that subgroup.

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First Letter: B

Wordle 1023 Hint

Hint: When you want to speak English but you also want to sound French, today's Wordle is an acceptable alternative to "shazam" or "whoomp, there it is."

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First Letter: V

Wordle 1022 Hint

Hint: A little bird told me that today's Wordle could be about an Alabama lawyer with a daughter he calls "Scout."

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First Letter: F

Wordle 1021 Hint

Hint: The technique for solving today's Wordle may all be in ... today's Wordle!

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First Letter: W

Wordle 1020 Hint

Hint: There's only one way to become king of the mountain.

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New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.

First Letter: C

I Don't Find It "Upsetting" That NASCAR Won't Refrain From Having Cars On The Track So I Can Join The Daytona 500 On Foot

Per The Daily Beast:

Jackass star Steve-O is coming up on 16 years of sobriety, but not everyone is willing to accommodate him as he abstains -- one such person, allegedly, is Bill Maher. In a recent episode from Steve-O’s podcast Wild Ride!, he said Maher’s team reached out to invite him onto Maher’s podcast Club Random, where Maher interviews people while smoking marijuana. ... “I’m a clean and sober guy, approaching 16 years,” Steve-O said. “The Bill Maher podcast, which I saw you on, reached out and they -- his thing is he smokes pot the whole time while he interviews people. And I said ‘Hey, I’d happily go on there but could you, while I’m on, out of respect for my sobriety, could he refrain from smoking pot?” he continued. “He said no, that’s a dealbreaker.”

I find it hard to believe that anyone would consider this rude, let alone controversial.

The premise of the show is people smoking dope and talking.

If the participants aren't smoking dope, they aren't participating in that show.

If NASCAR fans tune in to, or show up for, the Daytona 500 and just see me walking around the track, no cars, they're not going to consider it the Daytona 500. They're probably going to be bored at best and actively upset at worst. The NASCAR brand will be damaged.

That doesn't make me a bad guy for liking to walk. It just means I should choose some other venue/event for walking, rather than getting puzzled or irritated at NASCAR's refusal to change what it does so that I can do what I like to do in their venue and at their event.

A conscious decision to avoid alcohol, cannabis, etc. doesn't make Steve-O a bad guy, either. It just means he should avoid venues/events clearly and unambiguously based on consumption of alcohol, cannabis, etc. ... and not let the existence of those venues/events upset him.

My First (And Possibly Only) Public Endorsement for Libertarian National Committee ...

... is Shawn Levasseur for Secretary.

Why maybe my only public endorsement?

Because I'm well aware that my endorsement, to the extent it's noticed at all, could be a negative as well as a positive. I don't endorse without letting the endorsee know that first so that I can be asked not to endorse, if that seems like the better way to go. I asked Shawn, and he said to go for it, so here it is.

Why the endorsement?

1. It is my opinion that the entire current LNC owns the consequences of its current term. They should all be strongly considered for replacement, because the current term has been a financial, membership level, and "messaging" disaster. If I'm a Coca-Cola stockholder and the company loses money, loses market share, and runs commercials saying "our beverages taste like ass," my default position will be against re-election of the board running the show. Which is not to say that I won't listen to arguments from incumbents as to why they should be re-elected ("I personally raised this much money, I personally recruited this many members, and I vehemently objected to and voted against the 'tastes like ass' commercials"), but that would be a request for an exception -- as a body this LNC has been a failure of epic proportions.
2. While I supported the current secretary for election in 2018 and re-election in 2020, I believe that position in particular is up for a change after three terms, and would be even if the current secretary hadn't become a damaging chaos agent in her second and third terms. I'm just generally a "two terms at most, then out" type, although I've made exceptions.
3. Shawn has the record (see the link above for his resume) and he's someone I trust to do the job because he says he's willing and able to do that job. I strongly prefer a long record of party work and demonstrated competence when looking at candidates. When it comes to LNC, I tend to emphasize those factors over ideological agreement.
4. But, speaking of ideological agreement, Shawn's long-time support for this blog and other projects of mine indicates to me that while we may not agree on everything, we're at least somewhat on the same general page.

That's it for the endorsement, but let me add a note.

As you may have noticed, I am an "anti-Mises-Caucus" type by inclination and have belabored both that  orientation and my reasons for it. That does not mean I will never support a Mises-affiliated or Mises-endorsed candidate for LNC. In point of fact, I supported Joshua Smith for LNC in 2018, though in retrospect I think that was a bad call. I will listen to (and probably have questions for) any and every candidate I come across, regardless of affiliation.

Wordle 1019 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle could get hairy -- you may have to weave your way to the solution.

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First Letter: P

Wordle 1018 Hint

Hint: You surely know today's Wordle -- it's in your blood.

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First Letter: S

Wordle 1017 Hint

Hint: Part of a palm (not the "hand" kind of palm, the "plant" kind of palm).

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First Letter: F

Thanks For Asking! -- 04/01/24

No AMA thread this month.














Of course there's an AMA thread this month. It's April Fools' Day, duh.

Ask me anything in the comment thread below this post. I'll answer in, or linked from, comments.

 

Wordle 1016 Hint

Hint: You shouldn't do today's Wordle. Heck, people disapprove of today's Wordle so strongly that you shouldn't even talk about it!

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First Letter: T

Wordle 1015 Hint

Hint: Variants of today's Wordle include (but aren't limited to) "police," "electromagnetic," and "majeure."

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First Letter: F

For Better Or Worse?

I'm thinking in terms of two scales -- one decades long, the other limited to this election cycle.

The question often posed in both cases is "are you better off now than you were then?"

On the long term, I have no doubt whatsoever about the answer. People today not only have vastly more, but mostly better and cheaper, options for just about everything than they did 50 years ago.

Think about your phone, and your phone bill, back then. You paid more for local land line service, using a device tethered to the wall of your home, than a basic (long distance included instead of outrageously priced by the minute) cell plan costs today. And you can get phones that are cheaper than those old ones were, fit in your pocket, and go wherever you go. If you want to pay more, for a "smart" phone, you also get a tiny mobile computer that's probably more far powerful than the ones on spacecraft of that era.

Most stuff is better now than then, and most stuff costs less now than it did then in terms of hours one must work to afford it.

But of course, in politics, the "then" is four years ago.

I'm not sure the question is really fair to Donald Trump, because four years ago we were sinking into the authoritarian COVID-19 panic, and now we're mostly out of that panic. While Trump didn't handle any of that very well (remember when he invoked War Communism to force the manufacture of ventilators -- which the market ended up providing before he could fully go through with it?).

Trying to correct for the COVID-19 stuff, do you think you're better off or worse off now than you were four years ago? And do you credit or blame Joe Biden or Donald Trump for that conclusion? That seems to be the big question politicians are asking -- and trying to provide answers for -- right now.

Wordle 1014 Hint

Hint: An actual kingdom, or a metaphor for one.

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First Letter: R