April 7, 2016 Night

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As we head through the ten o’clock hour, we are at 45 degrees and mostly cloudy. You can see the stars in parts with dark clouds hanging over other locations. 50% chance of showers tonight, low around 38 degrees. Fairly mild. Sunrise is at 6:23 am, in about 7 1/2 hours. First light at 5:54 AM.

Went out grocery shopping tonight. Just a few supplies until the weekend. Also ended up buying some supplies for fixing the wires in the truck cap, including conduit and wire ties. Going to clean out the truck this weekend and get things ready for summer camping.

Ended up looking at LED light bulbs. They now have 40 watt equivalent bulbs that only use 5 watts. They are like $3. I use that bulb size to light my flag while truck cap camping, and this would further reduce the load on the inverter. Didn’t buy yet but will get before my next time camping. Also bought an inexpensive red LED light bulb, so I can put it on while sitting in bed watching the PBS Newshour to make it easier to fall asleep. They really suggest that the blue light from screens can disrupt sleep. The truck toy aisle at Walmart has so many different LED strips and switches now.

Also went down to the library and downloaded a bunch more data for making maps. I discovered that there is some pretty fascinating education data on out there to play with among other things. It’s something I’m going to play with further.

I’m pretty tired. But the good news is tomorrow is Friday. Sleep well.

April 7, 2016 Evening

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61 degrees with light rain this evening. Some green leaves are starting to show up on the trees that have budded up for some time now. I’m not complaining about the mild conditions.

A surprisingly busy day at work. Just lots of little things, some unexpected. But overall a good day. Glad to see the markets are back up again. Traffic northbound on the 787 is moving slowly but 787 southbound is better. People are being safe, which is a good thing.

Tonight we are looking at low of 38 degrees with rain showers, tapering off late. Sunset tonight at 7:29 pm. Twilight close to 8 pm. New moon. Tomorrow, mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers. Cool temperatures with a high around 45 degrees which is about 10 degrees below normal. Cold weekend on tap too, rain and snow showers on Saturday with a high of 43 and Sunday will be sunny and 41. Oh, well.

April 7, 2016 Update

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Now we are up to 49 degrees as the rain approaches. At this point, we are looking at showers starting around 10 AM with the heaviest rain starting around noontime. A high around 57 expected. Sunset in 10 hours at 7:29 PM. New moon tonight. Full moon on Earth Day.

Today in 1964, IBM announced System/360. It was the first family of computers designed to cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific. The design made a clear distinction between architecture and implementation, allowing IBM to release a suite of compatible designs at different prices. System/360 was extremely successful in the market, allowing customers to purchase a smaller system with the knowledge they would always be able to migrate upward if their needs grew, without reprogramming of application software or replacing peripheral devices. Many consider the design one of the most successful computers in history, influencing computer design for years to come.

Today in 1978, development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter. This horrific nuclear bomb, if implemented, would have been designed to kill humans with radiation while minimizing damage to infrastructure. It was seen as too ghastly and to impractical to ever be used.

And for all you country bumpkins out there, today is Cal Smith’s birthday. He died in 2013, so wishing him a happy birthday won’t hasten his passing. It’s also California Governor Jerry Brown’s birthday. The guy is 78 years old, and governor of the nation’s largest state, famous for it’s dysfunction. Good luck for him.

The rain held off for the walk down to the bus stop. I was concerned that the bus wasn’t in the real time schedule but it showed up on time. It pulled in a few minutes before 8:24 so it departed on time. Substitute driver, he didn’t do his layover in the normal place.

Glad I found the trash can lid, it was buried under the snow that had melted this morning in an unexpected place. Wind can be wild how things blow around. This weekend I plan to take all the bottles and cans to the transfer station, so I need to make sure things are well tied down before next week’s winds. I also plan to clean out the truck and repair the truck cap lighting. Things pulled loose on the truck cap over the winter. Then hopefully, I’ll be all cleaned up and ready to go for the summer. I do have some routine maintenance I need preformed on the truck before I start making summer trips, but I can think I can just call, make an appointment, and drop it off one morning at the shop.

Still no idea where I’m going for my end of the month road trip. I “only” have three days off plus the weekend but that could make a good trip. I guess I could take off a full week but I don’t want to use the time nor the cost of a full week trip. I think that option is still open for now. The Finger Lakes sound like a good option, although I do also want to possibly go down to Roscoe area for trout fishing. Or maybe the North Country. I don’t know, so many possibilities.

April 7, 2016 Morning

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Good morning. Happy Thursday. 46 degrees and cloudy. Later, 57 degrees and the rain is on its way in a few hours. Going to be mild but a wet day. Found my trash can lid, the snow is rapidly melting here. Birds and owl are chirping. Have a great day, don’t get too wet….