in keeping with the neighbours

A composite yuletide carol visited Carol. Carol received the composite yuletide carol with equanimity; she's received all manner of types of variations of carols. This includes carols concerning the left front armpit of a barn dog named 'Barry'.

That we are ever so gradually approaching the day that has the fewest number of daylight nano-seconds comes as no surprise to the author of this post. It would appear for at least half the year we are approaching just such a day.

In just a few short days we will begin the ever so gradual ascent to the day the the highest number of daylight nano-seconds.

Out of curiosity (thanks to Carol and her carols) I investigated the number of nanoseconds in the shortest day this year. There are 31,334,000,000,000 nanoseconds of daylight.

a little bit of this, a little bit of bat

At my job we have an intranet that has a social side; so I have been writing posts there every weekday; well, TBH, I have a weeks ahead queue of posts and as I come up with more ideas I write further into the future. On Tuesdays I have come into the habit of writing a Tuesday-Chooseday post where I list four pairs of like items or similar ideas and ask people to respond to indicate their preference. An example could be: prefer to awaken and start the day early or sleep in; prefer to swim in a natural body of water or a swimming pool; prefer INXS or Men at Work, or, prefer eating green grapes or red grapes.

Given my excessive writing there I have been remiss at posting here.

Having moved back to my parent's house to keep my dad company as my mom has been moved to a long term care home I now have a house to which I can come up with ideas that I could possibly implement - some examples of which I couldn't have done at all in my previous apartment.

One idea I had was to attempt to grow Giant Redwood Sequoia trees from seed and then guerilla plant them once they are saplings in a variety of places. These trees can live as long as 3000 years, so of course well past my remaining lifespan. I would monitor them and be curious to see how they progress over the remaining years of my life in their clandestine locations. I did tons of research about how to go about doing this and if it was appropriate for my climate zone (it is).

My latest idea, inspired by a few YouTubers I follow (Colin Furze and Tornado Dave and from a few years ago ModernSelfReliance) is to build a small (7'x7') underground bunker in the backyard in a surreptitious way, well, as secret as I would be able to receive a delivery of construction materials. With Chat GPTs help I have accumulated a lot of information; including about the W4x13 H steel beams that will be the roof of the bunker being supported by 4" 0.21" square steel tubular posts. Structural plywood (3/4") will be used for the walls attached to the exterior of the steel framing, FlexSeal or equivalent will be painting on the exterior of the plywood, then a radiant reflective barrier will be applied, and then finally 2" rigid foam insulation boards so as to keep the heat in that I explain below.

There would be floor cross beams that are planed down in such a way to create a path that any water inside the bunker could follow to a drain pit dug 3' deeper than the bunker for the purpose of allowing any excess water to flow into the surrounding ground. Atop the floor beams are floor boards and then 2" rigid foam insulation boards that conform to that flow channel; the insulation to help prevent cold from seeping from beneath the bunker into the floor. Atop the 2" rigid foam boards a circuit of 1/2 PEX that is buried in a thin layer of slope screed so as to continue the water slope to the pit. Atop the screed will be 3" square stone paving stones, the small size to allow for conformity to the water drain slope.

Connected to the 1/2 PEX sinewy circuit is a underfloor electric heating system that I really benefitted from ChatGPT to help me understand what was needed and what specific components would work well. From pipe end A that exits the floor will first be a T junction that has a valve on the T and a garden hose adapter, the purpose of this is to increase the pressure of water inside the system as initial setup. After that T junction is a 93W recirculating pump that can be powered down to 40W which produces about 5 gallons per minute (5GPM). After the pump is a pressure regulator reducer which can smooth out the pressure in the system and also drop the flow rate; for my purpose, to drop it to 0.5GPM. Next are a few sensors to measure the pressure, flowrate and temperature of the water in the system. Next is a 1440w mini tank heater - my initial plan had a tankless heater but the smallest tankless heater I found used 3000W which was too much for the power supply (a single household extension wire with a power bar at the end) so I will get a 4 gallon mini tank heater that with the 0.5GPM low flow rate ought to allow water to spend enough time in the heater to raise it in temperature. After the mini tank heater is a 2 gallon mini expansion tank - this is used to protect the life of the system and to accept any increase in pressure due to increase in temperature. Following the mini expansion tank is the highest point of the system where there will be a T junction with a valve and with a garden hose opening. To prime the system I will boil 15L of water and then add 2L of room temperature water and using a funnel pour that water through this opening at the top of the system. By being at the top it will fill all of the PEX circuit, the mini tank heater and all other nooks and crannies until it finally bubbles out the top. Once this prime load of hot water is added I will add an automatic air release valve. And then finally the PEX returns into the floor, nice and heated.

So to prime the system I put the hot water in through that top T junction opening until it is full; then, I attach a household garden hose with house pressure to the T junction at the bottom, before the pump and then open the water pressure to push more water into the system aiming for a system pressure of 13PSI at initial load. Once I reach that pressure I close the valve at that bottom T junction, disconnect the garden hose, so now the hydronic floor heating system is primed and pressurized.

I asked about the ideal temperature for the water to raise the bunker temperature to 25c and then what was the required temperature to maintain it. ChatGPT recommended 50c as a temperature to use to raise the bunker's room temperature and then to lower the mini heater's heating temperature gradually to see what the lowest value can be that still maintains the desired temperature. I would attach a thermostat that has a relay to control the pump, so once the thermostat reaches a desired temperature the pump would stop and the water inside the mini tank heater would be still and would warm up. At initialization I would use an air thermometer to see what the temperature is of the bunker air and I would set the thermostat to reach a temperature that 2c warmer than that to test it out and see how it works and see if there any leaks or adjustments that need to be made. Subsequent to that I would increase the thermostat temperature one or two degrees every other day or so until I have it reach my goal temperature.

The PEX running through the screed will conduct the heat through the screed to the stone tiles making the floor warm with enough BTU to warm the entire bunker. My goal is to be comfortable in shorts and T-shirt down there at any time of year. I will have an outdoor sofa, a nice TV, sound bar and DVD player so I can watch movies down there, I could also read or write while down there.

For ventilation I will have a long 4" tube whose bottom enters the bottom of the bunker on a wall that faces the already present garage with the top of that tube entering the garage. At the garage side of this ventilation tube will be a vent fan on a timer to blow garage air into the bunker for 12 of every 24 hours. The garage air is fine as it is an uninsulated out building with the garage door open frequently for fast voluminous exchanges of air, and with an EV being stored in it there are no toxic ICE car fumes to enter my bunker. As an exit vent I will have a 2" exit tube at the shaft entrance that ends up beneath a deck where it will have a U shape and mosquito net and chicken wire covering the enclosure. Having a 2" exit with a 4" vent fan blowing air in will create the positive air pressure that will help evacuate the bunker of radon.

There are even more in-the-weeds ideas and details to this plan that I have come up with, but for now I suppose this is enough.

sometimes no times no thyme

A basket made of stealth and holding zones made all of the elbows of the people who were waiting for their lunch meal at the cafeteria slide ever so slightly northwards.

A lunch meal at the holding zone had a basket made of the elbows of people who were stealthily sliding northwards while slightly waiting in the cafeteria.

If all of the pecans and the pecan'ts

If I hadn't swallowed the entire envelope made of cheese, a red-winged blackbird's feather and a toe nail clipping from a Minke whale, I'm sure that I would be in a better position to have an opinion on a more topical topic.

In other news, a slobbering poultry donation expert played chess against a moderately flatulent blocky iceberg named Jesse. The spectators at this event, well, most of them anyhow, did remember to brush their teeth earlier that day.

Celebrate! It is Tuesday!

two times fourty seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-two

A wallet, a shelf and a bottle of profundity walk into a bar.

An enigmatic, a burrow of wealth and a pinch of celestial lint walk into a bar.

That a bunker under the Sun would keep the ideas from riding a horse would be the least likely of an event that were it to have begun before it started, the time play would lapse while doing laps.

I'd have voted for the ceiling to be raised by one and two/thirds of a picometer.

How small is a picometer? Why don't you ask the tip of a pin. 

umph, ugg

The US presidential election yesterday pitting dem Kamala Harris against felon Donald Trump resulted in a Trump win. I do not understand the electorate that supports the buffoon.

In terms of the Russo-Ukraine war I can see Trump siding with Putin in a disadvantageous deal to Ukraine that would end the war. Yes, it would be great for the war to end, but not at a dear cost to Ukraine.

In terms of addressing the reduction of GHGs to address anthropomorphic climate change, Trump goes by the 'drill baby drill' strategy which will push our global environment to repeated environmental catastrophes.

In terms of economics he is an incessant proponent of tariffs, which so many economists have indicated would simply translate to a tax on consumers as the tariff payers will simply increase the consumer cost to pay the tariff. The end result is inflation. Also, he is purported to have in mind to cut taxes for the wealthy people doing nothing for the lower four quintiles.

In terms of trade with Canada; it is unclear, though, in 2026 the existing free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico is due for revision, and it is likely that Trump will want to eek out of the new deal unreasonable concessions with Canada and Mexico.

In terms of immigration he has promoted the idea of taking 10 million 'illegal' immigrants out of the country. This may easily include legal immigrants that Trump and his peons deem deportable due to race. Of course this will tank the economy as a majority of the people he wants to deport do the jobs that other Americans would not do, like work in agricultural or slaughter houses.

In terms of misogyny he has already done the damage by adding to the Supreme Court enough judges to strike RoeWade. I have heard that two judges are set to retire during Trump's mandate meaning he could add two more Trump judges rendering the Supreme Court but a Trump stamp device.

Trump is old and is already showing signs he is losing acuity; his running mate JD Vance does not show as presidential by any stretch, so that is hardly a welcome panacea.

yay, train

News article about the government of Canada having chosen a consortium to build a new passenger rail service from Quebec City to Toronto with various major stops in between. We will only get the choice of consortium in the next week or two, but what was leaked was that the plan now is to have high speed rail along this corridor with the goal of 300kph stretches. Apparently the consortium who proposed this said that doing the high speed will come under their estimated budget of 80B$ that was first thought for the high frequency rail project.

This news excites me as it is many years over due to get high speed rail in Canada; we are behind so many other nations in this respect. For sure the populations of Toronto and Montreal warrant this new passenger service.

A major obstacle is that presently the federal minority government is unstable and actively teetering, and it looks like, based on popularity polls, that the Conservative party would form our next government and in past Conservative governments, rail projects such as this would be cancelled.

 I just hope that once the project starts, that it moves quickly. Also, I hope that, though it is over long distances, that it goes automatic and driverless, so as to lower operational costs. I also hope for Ottawa's station, that the train stops closer to the city. I also hope for Montreal it stops at Central station and in Toronto at Union station, where there are already Via Rail stations and there are big transit hubs.

Anyhow, I will be following this closely; well, as closely as I can from someone not at all involved in it.

Courage, armpit sweat and a bottle of opportunity

In my youth, before I was married or even engaged, perhaps in the few years after high school when the occasion would have permitted, like at new school year events at the post secondary education places I studied, or, social events at the school. Or simply in school hangout areas or hallways. If I could go back and if I had the courage, I approach a solo girl, a pair of girls or a group of 3-5 girls, introduce myself with my first name and ask if I can ask them three questions with an option for a fourth. Using only three questions hopefully reduces any reluctance to participate. Being at the school ought to also let the girl(s) feel safe. I would look at the girl(s) and based on what I see ask three of any of the questions below, and that the optional fourth question is also from the list. If they pick the optional fourth question, once it is done ask one at a time if they want additional questions. Between the second and third question I would mention that of course at anytime, the girl(s) can ask me any question about anything. If they ask me why I am doing this, it is to practice and improve my social skills and comfort.

I would not ask the girl(s) their names at the outset, if we managed to get to a question 5, that is when I would ask for their first name(s). In the groups of 2-5 I would make a concerted effort to pay attention to each of the girls equally and to concentrate strongly the remembering of their names. If it went really well and we reached 10 questions, I would have my eleventh question ask if any of the girls would like to exchange contact information with me.

• Which of you is the sportiest?
• Who of you are early birds and what would be the ideal time to awaken for each of you?
• If I paid for a high end salon pedicure or manicure for you, which would you pick, and why?
• Were or are any of considered a tomboy?
• How punctual are you and how important is it to you to be punctual?
• Preference question, the number 17 or the colour amber?
• Have you travelled at any time to any place south of the equator? If so, where, when?
• Which of you is nerdiest (and when she is picked) what makes you nerdy?
• Mental health is not spoken of often at our age; are you comfortable talking about the state of your own mental health with your friends?
• Preference question, swim in a pool, or in any natural body of water like a lake, river or ocean?
• Do any of you have a boyfriend?
• Do you or would you pay for event tickets for the purposes of attending and supporting women's professional sports?
• Do you read regularly, if so what are you currently reading or have read most recently?
• How long does it take for you to get from home to school and how do you go about this commute?
• What is your favourite flavour of ice cream and in what format?
• Is being fit important to you, and if so, what do you do to maintain or improve your fitness?
• If the group of you were to win an all expenses paid trip somewhere with shared accommodation, where would you all agree to go for a week long trip?
• Would your dream job have high flexibility to work fewer or more hours as fits with your day to day life, or a much more restrictive and stressful but much higher paying job?
• Can you sing? Do you sing? Would you sing? Ask whomever seems keenest about this to sing something - if I am asked offer a beautiful song that tears me up or a fun song that we could maybe sing together: What a wonderful life or Bohemian Rhapsody

Of course I think about this when I am 18758 days old, when it would have been super helpful for me to have considered this idea during those years in my life. I still don't know if I would have had the courage, but perhaps simply having the idea would have helped. I do recall that I was equally good at coming up with questions back then. I do not know if any of these questions would have been welcome by girls my age back then, or girls that age now, but for the most part they appear to be harmless questions.

like a rainbow made of dust

Atmospheric rivers in southwestern BC

Elections in British Columbia, then New Brunswick, then Saskatchewan, then the USA.

Climate Activists on Jacques Cartier bridge this morning.

Dream of a GPS wrist watch.

Counting to eleven, three times.

telemetry, not red socks

There was a news report yesterday that the provincial government here is going ahead with advanced notice MAID for dementia affected people by the end of this month, irrespective that the federal government has not updated the federal criminal code. The health minister has worked it out with the justice minister that under this new method of using MAID the doctors or nurse practitioner involved who actually performs the MAID action is not to be prosecuted.

This is good news for me as it seems that many years from now this will be how my life will end.

box kite frog joke

Book group tonight; two guys of which I am one, all other are women. Inner critic - wow, the women, all of them commiserating how difficult it is to live with their inner critic. Other guy voices he doesn't think he has one; I silently agree that I don't seem to have one either.

There is no voice within me telling me that I am insufficient, or that I ought to react in a revengeful way, or that I am an imposter, or that I ought to be better.

One of the women mentioned how there is always a gap between the thing that happened and the response we give to it but that she is sometimes unable to jump into that gap to pick a response, and instead, allows immediate amygdala control to supercede any frontal lobe response. I on the other hand have widened that gap such that it is omnipresent.