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A variety of maps, writings, and photos on a various topics that can’t easily be categorized into a county or place.

Let there be light!

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I was as careful as possible not to touch the bulb while replacing it, but I concede these halogens don't last forever, so it probably won't be long until I have to replace the other side. So I have a spare one in my kitchen ready to go. It's fine Walmart didn't have the one pack or the cheapest bulb. I spent $25 rather then $10 on one bulb. Maybe the color or brightness is a bit better on the more expensive bulb, not that I drive that much after dark.

Taken on Monday November 4, 2024 at Big Red.

A very dark drive home last night 🛻

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And a very early trip to Walmart this morning to buy a headlight bulb, fun installing it, and now it’s remote work from the library. I was going to ride into the office this morning and work several hours at state office in Menands before heading downtown to campaign committee, but that was all changed when I left home last night — deciding the priority had to be to fix the headlight and then remote work.

Of course when I got to Wally World at 8:30 AM this morning, no basic H11 bulb was to be found, 💡 but I was able to get a two pack of the next step up from the basic bulb. I know you’re supposed to replace them in sets but I never do, but it’s good to have one handy as I’m sure the other side will burn out some point in the future. I don’t care if they are perfectly matched, as I don’t do that much driving at night and I’m sure they’ll be good enough. I tell you with only one low beam though it made for a very dark drive home. I certainly did not want to be driving home late at night on Election Night with only one headlight working, especially with deer 🦌but also inevitably the cops 🚓 also all over over the road.

So there is light again on both side of the truck, those H11 bulbs are simple and don’t last that long but also aren’t that difficult to replace or that costly. Usually get about 3-5 years out of them before they burn out and need replacing. 🔧 It’s annoying with the accessory battery in the plow battery hold I have to pull the battery, 🔋 and I spent much too long this morning searching for my 6 inch socket extension, which of course was hiding out in my pocket. 🧥 I don’t know how I could loose such a tool in my pocket but I was searching all over my truck and in my apartment for it, and was ready to hop on my bike and run down to Delmar Hardware and hand over probably what would be $20 these days with inflation for a simple tool that I needed to pull the battery. Once I found the tool, I had the battery out and the bulb in and all was good.

I also bought some draino to get the tub 🛀 to drain faster, some stevia as I’m addicted to all things sweet, and dish soap which I managed to spill over all the carpet. 🫧 I started to mop that up but then the data jobs started rolling in, as tomorrow is Election Day 🗳 and I’m getting so much data to process, upload, and send along to folks. I figure the carpet with a little water will get good and clean, or at least somewhat better. My apartment is do dingy and dirty but what do I care. 🐷 Already eight emails waiting. ✉ So that’s the story of the morning. Busy, busy, busy! I do wish I could have ridden into the office, but I would have not gotten much work done regardless, with so many data jobs coming in. 💻 I actually thought today would be a lot slower then it turned out. There are so many ways I want to re-write my code and R Script and change the way I do things for 2026. Being busy is good, makes less time to be stressed out about the outcome of the election, which looks to be shitty 💩 but we won’t know until everybody’s voted and the judges make the calls on close ones. 👨‍⚖️

Nice not being so dependent on automobiles

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I really enjoy living some place where I’m not so dependent on automobiles.

Fyi... This is sorta like how January should look

It’s nice to be able to walk down to the library, to a Stewart’s and to the town park. Heck when I feel adventurous I can even walk to the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center.

I have express and local busses that take me to and from work, and to various shops and entertainment venues. I can have a few drinks and take the bus home. I don’t ever have to worry about parking, about being tired on the way home or getting into a wreck. Snow is just an occasion to wear boots and not worry about the road conditions.

Well, the new registration sticker and air filter is on the truck and I’m stocked up on groceries for the weekend 🛒

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I can take a breath now or at least Big Red can. I’m going for a quick jot up Bennett Hill. Kind of a cool autumn day, especially when the breeze picks up but the sun helps too.

Yesterday I kind of took the day off. 📴 You know just kind of stay home, really trying to study up on computer 🖥️ programming, learn the ins and outs of vscode and things like git and cmake. A lot of reading 📖 some coding. And then just data services work for all the campaigns. It wasn’t a lot but it needed to be done. 🚴 Tinkered with the bike for a while, trying to find the creaking and clanking noise I’m hearing from time to time with no luck. Rode out to Five Rivers 🐸 via Meads and then Fisher Boulevard over to the Bender Mellon Farm Preserve. 🌇 Watched the sun set, looked at the mountains and headed home 🏡 and read some more. It was warm inside – I think my new neighbor has his heat really warm but last night as the temperature dropped by morning I needed my heated blanket a little bit.

I do feel a bit guilty about not being involved in any campaigns this year, 🐴 I thought about knocking on some doors 🚪 but nobody asked me to help. That was one version of what I had thought this weekend would have been as a trip out to Cazenovia but the days are so short and the fire risk high. 🔥 Truth is as a director I’m not expected to pound pavement but I kind of like it. Plus I’ve had a fair number of data jobs to do. I’ll just be glad when it’s over, whatever the result is, knowing I did my best for my part of the operation. Trump is probably going to win and the Republicans both houses of congress based on the absentee ballots returned and early voting data which suggests Republicans have all the energy this cycle. 🐘 Things won’t be quite as grim at the State Houses but I could see us loosing a few seats.

The time change brought more sunlight to the morning 🕒 but it’s still a cool and clear November day. It will be getting dark around 5 pm. The extra lights for my bike have yet to arrive 🚲 but I have one and the roads have street lights in the city and I’ll take the express bus 🚌 home. Next weekend I plan to go out to Cazenovia or maybe just Vermont after my dental appointment on Thursday. 🦷 My teeth are bad – they need a cleaning and probably a filling. Sucks. 🍌 Probably not from candy 🍬 I’ve eaten at the campaign committee but instead all the bananas and apples 🍏 I snack on at work.

Truth is that I’m not ready to face another winter. 🌨️ It’s a good time to learn and think about my future 🔮, maybe really master computer programming once and for all. 🤓 Continue to research my housing options 🏡 maybe resume planning my homestead. And I can certainly winter camp at the horse camp or Rennselaerville. But it sucks. Seems like it was only a few days ago I was smoking pot and floating on a tube in the wilderness, enjoying the Grateful Dead 🎸. I shouldn’t complain about the good life, yet I wish I could point to more progress then grams smoked and days fallen off the calendar 📅. At least the oil 🛢️ change got done last weekend, air filter and registration this weekend.