I wonder if they will turn the Empire State Plaza Concourse into an emergency hospital.

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I wonder if they will turn the Empire State Plaza Concourse into an emergency hospital.

Well suited for that purpose, as it’s a large unused space owned by the state, nearly a quarter of a mile long and with branches off in multiple directions with everything on one floor. It’s the largest single public building in Upstate NY.

Every 50 feet or so they have 477 volt 50 amp plugs, so they have more than ample electricity – and the Empire Plaza is hooked to four separate substations across the Capital Regions unless the entire region looses power they won’t have any risk of failure – plus they could probably in a castrophic failure use power from the backup generators that normally just back up elevators and servers.

They could use the bus turn around for ambulances and there is ample parking for medical workers in the garages, the state had full control of the heating and ventilation and automatic door locks and gates for driveways in the area. With the state shut down, the space is all but vacant.

Muddy Roads

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As somebody who often ventures in the backcountry during the spring time, I am well aware that many state truck trails are closed in spring time, and those that are open tend to be a muddy mess. Watching my favorite off-grid Youtube channels got me thinking about how problematic mud and muck really is, especially if you don’t have a well built road.

Muddy Mess

These folks in Idaho are all but stuck …

NB888 tries to chop away at the snow banks to try to dry out his road sooner …

50 acres and a Cabin doesn’t struggle so much with mud, but he has a lot of problems with erosion on the last part of his road to his cabin in West Virginia…

And so on. A four-wheeler or UTV might be less likely to get stuck and easier to winch out, and indeed there is more solitude to living somewhere an ordinary motor-vehicle can’t get to, although it makes it harder to haul large loads, and an open-four wheeler can mean you get quite muddy, smelling like gasoline before you make it to work or off the mountain where your land is.

Plus the issue of leaving your truck, unattended down by the road, means you risk it getting damaged or vandalized without you knowing, although certainly many people to enjoy the privacy and quite of living someplace without a full motor-vehicle road, and all the problems easy access to a homestead can cause.

I bought $65 worth of groceries today at Aldi’s …

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I bought $65 worth of groceries today at Aldi’s …

  • I was surprised I spent that much but when I got home I realized I got a lot of food – freezer is full – and that’s good to have things well stocked up in case I do get sick and because Aldi’s is on the other side of the river so I don’t get over that way often
  • Seems a fair bit cheaper than Walmart for the essential goods that I want – my budget is always tight and I’m always looking to save a buck
  • I like shopping at Aldi’s because not only is it affordable it’s fast – I never buy name brand or boutique products so their limited selection covers – everything that I could want
  • There odd and creative brands are amusing – they’re store brands but their more upscale than the store brands you find at Walmart or Price Chopper. Happy Cow, Happy Harvest, Friendly Fisheries, Millville, etc… Names are cute
  • I think the quality is a bit better then other store brands in generally, although their apple juice is somewhat lacking
  • I wish they had more bulk and large packages – often their packages are smaller then the sizes you can get at a Walmart or even Shoprite – means more trash but also more option to mix and match
  • I think it would be good for shopping especially when I want a lot of food for camping, although I’d have to follow it up with a visit to Walmart to buy beer, anmo, bait and other camping supplies
  • Made the mistake of buying uncooked, breaded chicken instead of microwavable chicken so I’m cooking up a full cookie sheet and will freeze leftovers – my mistake I’m unfamiliar with the store
  • I like how fast the checkout is and how they have real people scanning your items quickly – never a line – and they fly through your order putting it back in your car unbagged. Beats having to deal with those self checkout lines at Walmart
  • Then you just bag it as you want on the shelf after you pay – no rush bagging it and you can make sure cold stuff remains in one bag

Truth be told…. I was kind of off-put by the oddity of the store when I went there 10 years ago in Niagara Falls… But now a days with plastic bags banned in New York and Aldi’s taking credit cards it is a lot more like shopping at any other supermarket except with a lot less walking and time wasted to get the things you need.

New York Power Authority isolates critical employees on-site

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New York Power Authority isolates critical employees on-site

The New York Power Authority is moving to isolate 85 critical employees at power plant and control room sites across the state to ensure the lights stay on, CEO Gil Quiniones told POLITICO.

The NYPA employees have been tested for the coronavirus and are all expected to be isolated, if they come back negative, by Saturday. The unprecedented step amid the growing health crisis in New York City and across the country reflects NYPA’s importance to the state’s electric system.