Notes

Truth is that I’m dead tired ๐Ÿ›

I did not sleep much at all yesterday. I just feel sick. I’ve been working like a dog, getting into the office early, trying to keep up on both the legislative and campaign side of things.

I have a pounding headache from the lack of sleep ๐Ÿ˜ด, as I could not sleep last night ๐ŸŒƒ. I laid in bed listening to the 538 podcast then Lex Friedman interviewing Donald Trump. ๐ŸŽค The guy’s a snake ๐Ÿ but then again all politicians are. He says he’s for legalization of pot. Good. ๐Ÿธ I rode out to Five Rivers this evening and to get summer squash at Meads Farm ๐Ÿ† but they were tiny and expensive but at least I won’t run out. I should have run downtown to the farmers market today. ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŒพ I know there isn’t much time left to do this year and maybe forever as who knows where I’ll be next year. Hopefully alive and hopefully on my own land or getting there but first I got to make it through the winter.

Truth is that I have no idea how I’m going to make it through the winter this year. ๐ŸŒจ๏ธ I’ve not found a home, my apartment is so drafty and falling apart. And I keep sending the landlord the $800 checks buying myself some time before the inevitable eviction. I keep looking at houses on Zillow but they’re the same consumeristic crap I always see. ๐Ÿ˜ My parents have gotten so elderly and obnoxious, I hate visiting them as all they ever talk about is how much they love their garbage service, how much they hate Trump and how I should buy more shit ๐Ÿ’ฉ because I make good money. Mom wanted me to come out tonight to help dad fix the lawn mower but due to my lack of sleep I felt like I couldn’t drive and keep my eyes ๐Ÿ‘€ open. I’m kind of a wreck tonight. The electric blanket and sealing around the door ๐Ÿšช will help and I can afford a bit more heat. โ™จ๏ธMoney’s always tight ๐Ÿ’ต but I do better than most do.

Trump’s worried about the smell of marijuana ๐Ÿ‘ƒ

Smoking marijuana can be pungent, often more pungent then tobacco. That’s a fact, though many of the quality cultivars are far less smelly and harsh then the low-quality street marijuana that was common before the legalization in many states. Marijuana isn’t as skunky and nasty as it was when it was illegal.

That said, smell of marijuana is many ways socially defined. Most marijuana smokers aren’t the least bit bothered by the smell of the smoke passing by somebody smoking it in their backyard or door stoop. If anything, they will have positive associations with the smoke, noting the unique flavor signature from the turbentines. Same is true with tobacco smokers, especially those who smoke quality tobacco.

This is not unlike many ordinary smells that people have different associations of such as so-called “dairy air” – – the rich smell of grain, hay, silage and manure. City kids might be grossed out by the smell, but farm kids are likely to embrace the rich-earthy tones of the recently harvested silage. Dairy air is associated with happy cows, land that is providing, and ultimately paychecks. As they say, manure, the smell of money.

Ultimately there is no role in the federal government to worry about the smell of marijuana burning unless it’s a large industrial facility who smoke is impacting multiple states. Cities and towns are the best place to regulate such things, though the most reasonable policy is to allow the smoking of marijuana anywhere tobacco can be smoked. Obviously, you still want to protect children’s and worker’s lungs, so towns and cities want to restrict smoking indoors, in hospitals and schools. But in open air settings, such as designated smoking locations and large parks and public spaces, there is little harm to permitting smoking.

God damn I do declare September 2024 !ย  ๐Ÿ

I have to say it was a fun summer, but things have been so busy lately. Friday was busy at camp, but fortunately bar a few emails and a few documents reviewed Saturday and Sunday were quite relaxed as was Labor Day.

I’ll be the first to admit it was a fun summer, ๐Ÿ– and I did get out and do a lot of good adventures. It seems hard to believe that Labor Day has come and gone, though I was reminded of that driving past Sacanadaga Campground ๐Ÿ›ป on my way back home on Sunday afternoon. Closed for the season the sign says. I might stop by there this autumn, and ride around the campground on my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต to see what it’s like off-season. It’s pretty crowded as most campgrounds and right off NY 30, so I’d rather wilderness camp ๐Ÿ•๏ธ then ever spend time there.

Kids are going back to school this week, ๐ŸŽ’ so I am sure the traffic will be back for the morning commute, ๐Ÿšธ though hopefully by riding my bike to work I can avoid the worse of that. But I really hate the delays on 787, though in recent years they aren’t what they once were with so many state employees remote working a few days a week. I don’t blame them, and indeed I plan to remote work a fair bit this autumn, including not this Friday but probably the following Friday, probably from Renselearville State Forest. Haven’t camped here since April, as I prefer the Adirondacks in the summer months. โ›บ No camping this weekend, the weather looks crappy and I need a break.

It’s just been so busy lately with work. ๐Ÿ’ป๏ธ Friday might have been a remote work day, but it was packed full of work, I barely had time for lunch or getting camp set up. Maybe it’s best that I’ve been busy, it shows I’m earning my keep, even if I’m working from a hammock up in the Adirondacks. โ›ฐ๏ธ Today, though it’s back off to the office in Menands, ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ผ though at lunch time I have to go downtown for a lunch meeting. Catered by Chipolte, so it should be yummy. ๐Ÿ˜‹

Breakfast this morning was out the folks house with eggs and greasy feta. ๐Ÿณ Maybe because I don’t eat packaged food much these days, every time I go out to my folks house all the food they have there is so greasy. I guess it’s what I grew up on and it’s what a lot of people eat these days, but it’s gross. ๐Ÿคฎ That said, certainly not my choice. But its good to see them as I know it won’t be all that longer.

With winter coming, I do need to think about getting some more sealant around the door ๐Ÿšช of my apartment to at least slow that leak. Of honestly find a better place to live. But I don’t care, I keep the heat low and it’s probably the cheapest place to live for now even if it’s not exactly energy efficent. I do wish I had a woodstove, and indeed that is something top of mind when I own my own land.

Putting a fork into summer 2024 ๐Ÿด

As they say, it’s done.

Like so many others, I’m heading home from Speculator in a few minutes. It’s been a fun summer but things went much too quickly. Did a lot of floating on the tube, listening to the Grateful Dead, enjoying the grass by the campfire and camping.

Who knows if there will be another summer like this in the future, I’m growing older and things as they currently are can’t be sustained forever. I do need to find a house – a homestead, a cabin – and that will inevitably take away from my travel.

I can’t believe but I’m not surprised that the red maples are all red along the river, though that is common by Labor Day. As it hints of color and what is to come on this cool but clear Labor Day. I may be back to Speculator before the month is done. But it won’t be the same, with much shorter days, cooler temperatures – to cold to float.

Kamela’s A Cop ๐Ÿ‘ฎ

Everybody knows that. It’s not good to deny who you are as a person, voters see right through that. On the other hand, Kamela has to be careful she does not alienate her base by being seen as draconian on crime or making her status as a cop – actually a former District Attorney – first and foremost in her race for President.

You SMOKE – Immediate Disapproval ๐Ÿšญ

Frank Zappa wasn’t wrong when he said campaigns against smoking were a bunch of yuppies doing what these days we would call their WOKE campaigns. For a lot of liberals admitting to smoking anything is tantamount to treason, a poor soul hopelessly addicted to nicotine or THC, forever sentencing themselves to poor breathing, lung cancer, heart disease and death. You’re a sick puppy! You need help. You’re going to die. How sad!

It’s 2024, there is nobody who hasn’t seen the research and campaigns against smoking. They know the risks. They’re not stupid and most are not addicted – and even if they feel addicted there are all kinds of government and health insurance subsidized programs to overcome addiction. Many quite affordable especially compared to smoking. But we enjoy it.

Smoking tobacco and cannabis has its risks and rewards. People wouldn’t smoke if it wasn’t pleasurable. Tobacco smoke has a rich flavor, cannabis makes you feel relaxed, and engaged in the world around you. Both are enjoyable in the evening around a campfire with a cold beer. Harmful yes but you only have so much time in this world to seek enjoyment.

The research on the dangers of smoking anything are quite clear it’s the number of years smoked that is far greater concern than the amount smoked. That’s why cutting back or lite cigarettes don’t really have much health benefits but quiting for good does. So that’s something to consider before that occasional deep breath in. On the other hand, things like a healthy diet and exercise are far more important to a long quality life then an occasional smoke.

At least liberals don’t disapprove of cannabis, even if they are condemning of anyone smoking it with the carbon monoxide and tars coating the lungs. And I’m not sure I liberals are just as disapproving of the fact that I also burn plastic and paper trash, drive a big jacked up truck and own some guns but not nearly enough! Of course, conservatives probably think of me as some kind of perverted do nothing hippie for enjoying a few puffs up in the wilderness.

Rocking into Labor Day ๐ŸŽง

Cream’s White Room is a pretty good song as I look at the clouds as the sparkles of yesterday float away as a good memory. It was fun day, riding over twenty miles in Perkins Clearing and then hiking back to Spruce Lake in the West Canada Lake Wilderness.

If I didn’t have to work tomorrow ๐ŸŒค๏ธ and I was starting a new employee and had meetings downtown I would be like this is such a nice day to look at the clouds from my hammock and notice all the shapes and shadows. Cool morning but beautiful. Eggs ๐Ÿฅš for breakfast this morning and reheated some coffee โ˜•. Already need to think about taking down camp as I want to get to Speculator to ride the Speculator Tree Farm short loop before heading home.

It was an amazing sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ last night after I got back to camp ๐Ÿ• after my day full of adventure and riding, and probably the last time floating in the tube โญ• for the year. I figure it’s going to get cool quickly especially the way September is starting out. Hard to imagine it’s already Labor Day and the second day of the month. School ๐Ÿšธ traffic returns this week but hopefully by riding the bike ๐Ÿšฒ to work I’ll miss the worse of the traffic. Cars might crowd the roads but they won’t crowd the bike trail. That said on nice mornings the trail gets congested, especially nice autumn mornings. ๐Ÿ‚

It’s hard to imagine it’s now September and autumn. ๐Ÿ Silage chopping season I’m sure is underway in the high country. ๐Ÿšœ I’m thinking about autumn camping at Rennselaerville State Forest and friday’s remote working from there. Also thinking about a trip to Madison County as that is a fun place to go in the autumn. ๐Ÿ• I think it would be fun to ride road and maybe trail at the horse ๐Ÿด camp as a stoned poney on my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต during peak colors.