General – Page 17 – The Laughing Wolf

Quick Friday Update

Weather is doing a number on me, which bites on more than one level. Had hoped to do some baking today, wanting to experiment with smoked brown sugar in some chocolate cookies. Thinking it should pair well with dark chocolate. Not looking good for that. Was able to make a fresh batch of chili-lime mayo yesterday, which is a start towards being able to do real cooking again.

Also, no matter how I feel, plan to go help with the Christmas Market and Village at the church I recently started attending. I’m still limited in what I can do, but thing is I can do a bit and want to help out as they have been most welcoming to me.

Started active range of motion work yesterday and am happy even though feeling it a bit. So happy to be able to do it. Few more weeks then we can kick it up even more.

Got some sleep for a change, but between weather and melatonin, had some of the weirdest dreams in a while. One set included the Indiana Guard Reserve (state guard, not national) being federalized (! though it has happened) to go deal with an alien incursion/landing (in southern Indiana?). Some of my least favorite officers active duty or otherwise popped up in that one either as themselves or combined into one character. Throw in a civilian contractor who wanted everyone to use the old green cylinder duffels and was refusing to transport anything else (or weapons), and it was wild.

Especially as the “leadership” was assuring us that looking sharp and strong words were all that were needed, as the aliens were an unknown group called the Posleen. If you read science fiction, you know them. Two of us had a clue, but… I can live without more dreams like that for a while, thank you.

Also, if anyone expected Hamass to do anything other than refuse to follow the rules, kill multiple in a terrorist attack, and otherwise launch multiple rockets against Israel while under cease fire, please hang your head in shame. If you honestly are surprised corporate media is pinning all the blame on Israel, please put a paper bag over your head as you stand there in abject shame. I really didn’t expect them to release those women, especially since they are all of an age to be considered spoils of war. Forget the exact proper term for that type of slave, but…

More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Yes!

Just got back from my visit to the surgeon, and I am cold but happy. In fact, I’m very happy overall. Things are indeed moving along, and we do seem to be further ahead on things with the left shoulder compared to the right.

The incision has healed very well, no issues and in fact it did better than the right incision. Cleared to use moisturizer (a no-no during healing), which is great as much of the rest of the body is dry and itchy. Don’t think the back scrubber I bought will work well for that, but who knows.

For all I’ve complained about “only” doing range-of-motion work, the ROM is extremely good for this soon after surgery. We are now cleared to do “real” PT, for me to start back to the gym on that and my lower/core and cardio, and to use the inversion table. Once I talk to the therapist later this week and we map out a plan, the plan is to move out in a smart fashion.

I have two major goals for the next six to twelve weeks: get the shoulders into the best possible shape I can, and to get things where I can start to actually try to move out West. The recent fronts, along with this morning’s cold and snow are simply reinforcing that desire. It will take at least a year to get the shoulders where they need to be, but given the loss of mobility was gradual and over the course of years, that’s somehow appropriate. Recovery from the surgery is just the first part, the second is stretching things back out and rebuilding both strength and ROM lost over the course of years.

One reason for some of the recent silence is that I’ve been having to deal with some issues related to my care. The surgeon is part of Community Health Network, and they (like most of the larger networks) tries to take over ALL your healthcare. On top of the lack of care on the night shift after my most recent surgery, someone dropped some new diagnoses into my profile this month, including that I was suffering from Chronic Systolic Heart Failure (HCC).

This was news to me, and news to my cardiologist. To make it even more fun, it wasn’t done by the surgeon or his office, and so far no one can tell me who made the diagnosis and on what basis. Given that I had to spend about seven years getting a false diagnosis of cancer removed from the Community system, I’m not even going to try to fight it this time Unless I develop symptoms, the plan is for my cardiologist and I to push forward with their current treatment plan. It did, however, make for several interesting days as this all came to light pretty much last week. Yeah, trying to get answers and things dealt with during Thanksgiving week was so much fun…

Oh, since I turned in my survey and comments on the care in the hospital, haven’t heard a word from Community about being on the patient advisory board and wanting my feedback. Strange. *grin*

I can highly recommend the surgeon and his group, I just have some issues with Community and with Community East hospital. The surgeon and two others I’ve dealt with in the practice on some other issues have been great. If you need a good ortho practice, or have shoulder issues, let me know and glad to recommend them.

Meantime, I’m going to be moving out on PT and trying to get set-up to work on moving. Doing all the meals ahead was a great idea, but now the larder is bare and I need to restock it, stock up on some other essentials, and do some general preparation work including stocking up on Vitamin A to keep the bad pew-pews away. Any help on these areas would be very much appreciated!

Someone has made me a very kind and generous offer in regards some training, and I hope to be able to take them up on it in a few weeks. I tried racking someone’s pistol a week or two ago, and it did not go well. At the rate I’m progressing, however, it may only be another week or two before I can rack and do. Really looking forward to that.

The car is running for now, though I do need to get it to the mechanic to figure out where the coolant is leaking and why, and get it fixed. For right now it’s not leaking much, at least as long as I have the heater engaged. Will be taking the bus as much as possible as I want to reserve the car for PT and other essentials.

So, for the most part we are go! Now in some areas I may be limping, but we are moving forward. Hopefully I can build some momentum and get moving literally and figuratively. Here’s to hoping the new diagnoses are indeed just BS, that things keep going well, and that I move from limping to walking to running in the days ahead so I can implement the GOTH move plan early in the new year.

Keep your friends close and your things where you can find them in the dark. Be Prepared.

More Soon

Had planned on a post or two today, but doesn’t look good. Up early as last night i ended up sleeping on my sides, which is still a bit of an ow and athletic as am still sleeping in the recliner. So, up a couple of hours early and not feeling great. More soon, promise.

Gun Law Weekend

First, my thanks to all for the good wishes. I’ve been less-than-happy at the slow pace, but also got reminded today that I’m still not three weeks out from the latest surgery. I could have sworn it was four-plus. Given that, it’s going amazingly well. Trying an experiment in ditching the sling for a bit to write, will see how it goes. Nice not having to be archy or ee for a bit.

Second, thanks to a very nice person I got the chance to attend Guy Relford‘s Indiana Gun Law Class at Indy Arms this last Saturday. For those not in Indiana, Guy Relford is not only the founder of the 2A Project, but a practicing Constitutional Law attorney specializing in the Second Amendment, and has also helped write a fair bit of current Indiana gun law. Still a few changes he would like to see made, and I hope he gets the chance to make them.

Those who know me, know I push for people — especially first time gun buyers — to take such a course. Ignorance of the law never works out in your favor, and there is a LOT of bad info out there. You need a law course as much or more (esp. if you live in an ‘interesting’ state) as you need good firearm/tactical training.

When I first moved to Indiana, a small-town police chief I got to know gave me a decent quick overview as he helped me apply for my carry permit. It is more than just a concealed permit, more on that in a minute. The laws have changed a LOT since then, and I’ve been wanting to take the class for a while now. It’s the first step to getting back to where I need to be after the lightning strike and shoulder replacements.

So, Saturday was five-plus hours of high-quality instruction on Indiana gun law, as well as use-of-force and other related topics. This included getting into the actual laws (and regulations) and going through same. There were a lot of good questions, good discussions, and citation of actual events and cases to make points.

Yes, Indiana is now (thanks in part to Mr. Relford) a Constitutional Carry state. That said, it is still a very good idea to go ahead and get that carry permit as doing so helps you via exemptions (such as within 1,000 feet of a school) as well as being honored in a number of other states. Take the course to learn how and why.

I’m not going to go into details, but we went over everything from who is a prohibited possessor and what convictions can be expunged after various periods of time — and what can’t ever be expunged — to transfers. The course covers when and where you can carry (and how) to the differences between use of force and use of deadly force.

I’ve got multiple pages of notes on those topics and even on things like curtilage as it applies to Castle Doctrine. In short, it was an amazing class where I learned a lot. I also learned a phrase to use if I am ever involved in a shooting or deadly force situation, and some other tips on same.

Glad to learn that phrase and some other suggestions on interactions. The last time I had formal use-of-force training was during Air Force Security Police Augmenter training several (cough) decades ago. Since policy at the time was shoot for extremities, I learned then ‘Sir, in the stress of the moment I reverted to training and fired for center of target.’ The phrases I learned Saturday are a huge improvement and will do a lot more to help keep me out of trouble.

Seriously, if you are a gun owner in Indiana, regardless of if you carry or not, you need to take this or a similar course. I can highly recommend this one, and do so unreservedly. This is time and money extremely well spent.

As I noted above, I’m using this as the start of re-learning to shoot. Between the lightning hit and getting new shoulders, I want to drop back and effectively start over. It’s a chance to re-learn, discard any bad habits, and build up better than before. Funny, I’ve done it a couple of times in terms of shooting and photography, and each time I came out the richer for it. For photography, both at Playboy and then again a few years ago, the concept of ‘forget what you know and relearn from the ground up’ resulted in huge improvements. For firearms, some training around the AFSPA program and some later tactical and related training vastly improved my shooting and response capabilities. Any help so doing now is very much appreciated.

So, an amazing and educational Saturday! It was good to meet Mr. Relford in person, as previously we had only engaged on social media. Give him a follow on X/Twitter if you are on there. Seems like a good man to sit down and smoke a cigar with and get to know.

Liftoff?

Everything is on track, and hoping all goes as smoothly (more so even!) as last time.

Thanks to all who have helped me get ready and get things further along with the home physical therapy set-up! I have breakfast and dinner tucked away for several weeks, am set on general post-op supplies, and am set to start over again on physical therapy. Nice thing is that this time we can work both arms the same in some respects. Once we get past the first six weeks, hoping to rock!

Anyone hitting the tip jar now, know that it is going to food and other preparedness. Don’t want to jinx anything, but may have some really good news to share here around November 1. May be attending a class, and that class may lead to some help and work getting me back on defensive track after the lightning strike and the surgeries. Meantime, I do suggest investing in food, ammo, and weapons.

If all goes well, more very soon. Meantime, keep your things where you can find them in the dark. Be prepared, be safe, and be alert.

Quiet Day So Far

I try to stay off social media and such as much as I can on Sundays. Yesterday I took that a step further by unplugging, setting up a chair out back, pulling out a book, and spending a few hours reading and watching the clouds. Temps were wonderful compared to be heat and humidity earlier in the week. Gentle breeeze just made it all that much better.

I’m catching up on events a bit, but am also having to stay on top of the PT/Insurance issue. Meet with the doc early tomorrow, then maybe PT, will see.

Meantime, hope you all have a good week. More posts soon.

Odd Fragment

Something dislodged this and I wanted to write it down. Not sure it means anything, but for years I had this same dream/vision of my death. Think I first had it around the 7th or 8th grade.

A team of us are in the back of a C-130, ramp down, which I don’t think I had seen at that point in my life. We are low, and watching the evergreens below covered with snow flash by. So low, none of us has a reserve. Our job is to land, go over the mountain, and extract a biological (person) on the other side. Rescue? Didn’t matter. Somehow, I know I survive the jump, but don’t survive the mission.

Funny how the dreams of our youth do and don’t work out. I think I do have at least one more jump in me, but that reality forked off long ago.

The Death Of Pringles

23 June. 23 August. Kinda hard to miss the message. Whether it was a S-300 enema or something onboard, the top leadership of Wagner and the group responsible for their part of the “coup” are dead. Surovikin has been dismissed and may have been detained. There are some other rumblings that seem to suggest more is going on behind the scenes.

I do find the timing interesting, in that I would have either expected it sooner or around next June. Wagner was/is a key piece of operations in the Middle East and more importantly, Africa. The latter is extremely important to the Kremlin (resources and blocking Western counter-terrorism activities and influence) and many of the relationships with various countries were built on personal interactions and relationships with Utkin and Pringles.

The coup in Niger was not just Russian backed, but was backed and apparently assisted and encouraged by the Wagner Group. How much assistance and guarantees of future assistance were made by the men on the plane? What does their loss mean for the coup and efforts to overturn it?

The pivot of Wagner to Africa and the Middle East after the “coup” made a lot of sense. It put them where they could do the most good and it got them (mostly) out of the war with Ukraine. Which is why I figured any retribution would wait for a year or so, until certain goals were accomplished. Between that and internal Russian politics previously discussed, I thought it would be longer. Which suggests that something has changed in Africa in regards Wagner and Russian influence operations, and/or something has changed the political calculus in Moscow.

Pringles was a member of the “St. Petersburg Mafia” that took over Russia after the fall. Quick aside, if you aren’t familiar with the tension (sometimes warfare) between the Moscow faction/leadership and the St. Petersburg faction/leadership, it really is fascinating and goes back almost to the day of St. Petersburg’s founding. It still exists and is very much in play today. Despite all the media and PR, Pringles was not a senior member of the group and despite his friendship with Vladimir he was as close to being the lowest ranking member as possible. As someone put it on Twitter, he was a vassal to a vassal.

Unless I’m mistaken, he is also the first member of that mafia to experience the tender ministrations of 29155. Again, message. There are several layers to the message, this one being no one is safe. Toe the line, or else.

I’ve gotten the impression that the silent backers of the “coup” are still not all identified, though a lot of people are looking for them for a variety of reasons. I’ve also begun to suspect that some messages from Pringles to Vladimir may not have been passed along. I think he was genuinely surprised when Vladimir took it as an attack on him, rather than an effort to remove those who were misleading and botching the war on Ukraine per Pringles.

If he thought that his friendship with Vladimir, and the Kremlin need for Wagner, would save him and the others, he was mistaken and not paying attention. Once Vladimir feels someone has betrayed him, particularly in public, no amount of new information, apologies, etc. help. You are dead and quite often in ways as creatively nasty as possible.

There are unconfirmed reports that Pringles regular pilot was not onboard and may have been involved. Patsy? Also, it may be that none of the regular crew was onboard. If the crew was essentially a pickup from an FBO, they would be the only ones for which I would feel sorry.

There is more to come, and I expect 29155 to be busy in the days ahead as payback continues. There are some interesting fault lines in both the Russian Federation, and in the political structure around Vladimir, starting to show. The times may be about to get even more interesting for those in the Kremlin.

Elon and Twitter

Yes, I’ve got some thoughts, but my last few headlines have been about thoughts so wanted to do something different. Fact is, I was on a panel with Elon about space commercialization years ago. It was not a pleasant experience because of Elon.

Elon is intelligent, how much so a subject of some debate and discussion. What I will say about him is that he seems get engineering and R&D on a level that few others do. Is he Kelly Johnson reborn? No, different type of genius and one who is smart enough to hire modern Kelly Johnsons and — mostly — listen to them on critical issues. I’ve heard over the years, however, that he can have a tendency to get so wrapped up in his concepts/plans that he doesn’t listen, not unless reality hits him hard with a cold douche.

Whether it’s because he’s spectrum or something else, he is not a people person. He doesn’t always get others, or seem to realize that disagreement does not automatically equate to enemy action. Or that less than 1,000 percent enthusiasm for project doesn’t mean you are against it. I think I said a while back that Elon was his own worst enemy when it comes to turning those who could or should be his allies into enemies. For some reason, he seems driven to do that, to be an ahole for no good or discernible reason.

That panel was a case in point. I was the NASA rep, working with the Space Product Development program, and simply because I (a mere contractor) was representing NASA, I was the enemy. That he saw NASA as the enemy at the time was not unfounded in many respects; but, the way he handled it set commercialization efforts back. Frankly, he was a rude, boorish, and nasty POS that night. Some of his comments apparently didn’t go over well in parts of NASA. As for me, what I witnessed along with things heard over the years (water cooler RUMINT), I would not want to work for him though I would love to work at a couple of his companies.

Fact is, before I got hit by lightning, I would have loved to work for Space X because they are doing, not talking. So long as it was down a few layers from the top so I was insulated from the storms that seem to hit Elon from time to time. He’s got a lot of good people working for him, and I would have loved to work with them. I think that right now they are the best shot we have at getting off this mudball and creating a permanent human presence throughout the solar system. I think that important and needed, especially as we seem determined to go the path of endless wars and escalation of same. Earth is the cradle of humanity, and it would be a shame if we became a case of crib death writ large.

I bring this up because over the weekend, Elon had one of his patented tantrums on Twitter (X, whatever) over removing the block feature. Elon wants to do it, and the peasants just don’t understand his grand plan and how this will make things better. He started blocking people who disagreed with the idea, told major accounts to delete themselves because they disagreed, and thought it was all funny. I thought it was fun (and funny) to block him so I may not be on Twitter much longer. We’ll see. The interesting thing is that with X/Twitter, the world gets to see the behavior on a large scale.

As for the block feature, I think it flat out stupid to remove it. First, various app stores (on which X depends) have rules that would seem to say no to this. Second, there are serious safety concerns for people who block because of domestic, terroristic, and other threats. I actually did try to point out the latter to Elon and others at X, don’t think it went anywhere. To my mind, it’s a liability issue with a capital L and a lot of dollar signs attached. Third, it’s my timeline and I like having the ability to block bots and others who do not have my best interest at heart.

I made the decision a while back to hang on and see what happens on/with Twitter/X. I don’t like a lot of what I see going on lately, but then again I’m not a multi-business billionaire with a track record of (mostly) success. I’m not part of the flounce brigade that every time he’s made a change has flounced to other pastures in protest (and mostly come immediately back). I’m going to let things play out for now, as Twitter is still the best platform for getting breaking news and intel.

I would love to see it more a true free speech platform, at least within what is allowed by our government, the EU, and others who hate free speech. I would like to have no filters, or at least visible filters and options, and curate who I follow, how, and why. Elon seems to want to make it a garden of nice, or at least nice as he sees it. Having survived the destruction of the blogosphere when we were tempted into the warm walled gardens of Facebook and other social media, which rapidly turned into thought prisons, I don’t trust promises of gardens that, really, trust us, this time are going to be nice and free.

Meantime, understand Elon is not your friend, a savior, or anything else other than a flawed human like the rest of us. He is an erratic genius, where it’s not the genius that is erratic but his behavior. I want to be fair and note that I have heard that he is not having a tantrum/being an ahole, he’s actually nice and even fun to be around. I’ve just never personally seen that side of him.

Because of him, a lot of good things are happening. To my mind, it’s worth dealing with the ahole component to get the good things. Not necessarily pleasant, but until some real competition comes along, he’s pretty much the only game in town on several fronts. When there are other realistic options, I will review and revise as warranted. If he goes completely off the rails in regards Twitter/X, I will leave with little fuss or muss. Meantime, I’m just going to sit back, watch, and probably shake my head a lot.

Your Thoughts Invited

Two quick things before I head to the gym for workout and “home” PT. I really would appreciate your thoughts on two separate things.

First, I think I mentioned that I had been considering getting a guitar to see if I could learn to play it. Someone had suggested it as a form of physical therapy, but it’s really not. That said, it could help test to determine if I can learn a complex new skill after the lightning strike despite memory and other issues.

I put it off a while back simply because I couldn’t justify it in the budget. Missed out on a sweet Ibanez that was on sale used, but just not in the budget. Oh, and I was shocked to find out how few used guitars are available. Still looking and hoping that maybe enough comes in through the tip jar to go for it. There is a nice Ibanez acoustic-electric available for a bit over $300, and I’m keeping an eye out for used. Want to go with the acoustic-electric as the thinner profile is easier on me post surgery.

To be honest, it’s a crapshoot. Positive is that if I can learn, it gives hope in other areas while giving me something fun and entertaining to do. If I can’t, well, I can at least torture the cats and maybe the landlord with my efforts. Not what I want, but I can sorta make it into a win. What are your thoughts on this?

Second, and this is way too soon, thoughts on an option a realtor suggested to me for the move. I still have to get the other shoulder replaced and recover, and that may take a while. For all I would like to get it done here soon, the right arm has to be recovered a bit more before we can do the left I suspect. How long that will take is a good question.

The option was to buy or rent an RV and use it to explore in the area where I want to move. The idea is, park the RV for a month in a general area, and explore on foot and by vehicle to get to know the area and look at options. Want to check out another area? Drive there, park for another month, and lather, rinse, repeat.

Question for you: does anyone know of any low-cost options for getting or renting an RV? I think it a good idea, but also am having to consider that the car is not doing well and replacing it is going to be a challenge. If it does hold on, and I’m not another year out from moving, any ideas on this or other options for exploring?

Yes, still looking primarily at Arizona, but also checking to see options in west or north Texas. My original thoughts of being a lone wolf out by myself isn’t going to work. Probably need to be close to/around more people, would be nice if they were good people. Near decent medical wouldn’t hurt. So, looking hard at Benson area, though it might be fun to check out Winslow or even Flagstaff. After all, a girl in a flatbed Ford might stop for me… If you get that, you might remember Pat Paulsen.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good way to get me out West, explore a bit, and find the right situation for me, please sing out. I just want to get my stuff out of storage and have a place of my own again one day soon.