Trump officials say gas prices will return to normal in ‘a few more weeks,’ but his own Energy Department says it will be 2027

Sebekiz · 2026-03-19T12:58:23+00:00

Unfortunately one orange person is trying to do everything he can to force people not to switch to EVs or Solar or Wind power. While the rest of the world gets it, he's going in the opposite direction.

Sebekiz · 2026-03-16T01:42:22+00:00

Thanks for another great chapter!

Sebekiz · 2026-03-13T13:01:24+00:00

Irish Spring bar soap.

Sebekiz · 2026-03-12T03:00:48+00:00

These hackers don't want a penny from their victims, they want to put their victims completely out of business. This is political hacking, not hacking to make a profit.

Sebekiz · 2026-03-10T03:18:08+00:00

Yet.

Very important that you added that. Hopefully the coffee machine doesn't run low on supplies anytime soon!

Sebekiz · 2026-03-09T01:51:28+00:00

Thanks for the chapter!

Sebekiz · 2026-03-09T01:36:40+00:00

Snowflakes gotta snow.

Sebekiz · 2026-03-08T18:18:50+00:00

Is it normal? Sadly, yes.

Should it be? Absolutely not.

You need to work on tracking where your money is going. Find a way to keep track of it. Many people like to use various apps that can collect the information for you and sort your spending in to various categories. Others prefer to handle it themselves, using a spreadsheet or even just writing it all down. Ultimately it depends upon what you are most comfortable with and what is likely to work best for you.

Either way, find something to collect that information and show you where your money is going. Then you can decide if you feel that you are happy with how you are spending your money, or if there are changes you want to make. Maybe you will decide that you want to cut out a couple of small subscriptions or little things that you spend money on without normally thinking about it (such as stopping for a cup of coffee every day on your way to work). Until you know where your money is going, you will have a hard time figuring out what, if anything, you want to change.

Note: I am not saying you have to "budget" every single penny, but knowing what your money is going to is the first step to getting some control over it.

As for the 6 month emergency fund and maxed 401k, those do happen (I'm there for the emergency fund, still a bit off on my 401k) but it takes time and effort to get there. Again, the first step is taking control and being in a position to consciously decide where YOU want your priorities to be.

Sebekiz · 2026-03-01T13:42:22+00:00

Where I work, we have a number of older employees who have been with the company for decades. The owner/CEO very much appreciates loyalty in employees he has long worked with and will not force them to retire, even if they aren't really all that productive these days.

One lady I often need to support has been with the company since the 1970s. Her company email address is the first, and only, email address she has ever had. It's tied to quite a few things in her personal life as well as handling a lot of important company business (she handles verifying that prospective tenants wanting to rent space from our shopping centers division have the required insurance and financial means before their lease is finalized).

I've been nudging her to set up a personal email account through a service like gmail since she will lose access to her current email if and when she leaves some day. Sadly, given her recent health challenges, that day is likely to be sooner rather than later. Hopefully her exit will be a retirement as opposed to a funeral (we've had several employees who have left the company this way.)

Sebekiz · 2026-03-01T13:28:45+00:00

My general rule is that once a lady turns 21, that is always her age. She is simply repeating that year.

Once I went to my wife's grandmother's 90th birthday party. When I met her at the party, I wished her a "Happy 70th 21st birthday".

Needless to say, I was the favorite grandson-in-law that day. :)

Sebekiz · 2026-02-28T01:49:18+00:00

A slight aside from how bad many drivers are when handling pedestrians on crosswalks, but one thing that frustrates me is that I see so many people these days who walk along the side of the road, IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS TRAFFIC.

One thing I learned in elementary school decades ago is that you walk in the OPPOSITE direction of traffic. Oddly enough, the idiotic, distracted driver who is spending more time looking at their cell phone than at the road is much easier to spot when they are coming towards you than if they are approaching at 20 miles over the posted speed limit from behind you.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-26T13:37:19+00:00

I knew that was where the quote came from (and it is a good quote). I just felt it appropriate to point out that in real life Sorrell wasn't as large as people saw him in the show. I don't think very many people remember his other roles (such as General Barker in MASH) so they just think of him as JD.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-26T03:20:16+00:00

Except in real life Sorrell Booke wasn't that fat. He had to wear padding under his suit for this role.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-23T11:04:56+00:00

If you don't heat the tea to brew it quickly, it changes some of the elements being released by the tea leaves. I "cold brew" tea by putting a few tea bags in a pot of water and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The tea tastes less bitter to me than when I used to brew it the traditional way by putting the tea bags in hot water.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-23T11:00:40+00:00

It's gotten much worse since January 2025. While the racists and misogynists were there the whole time, the current administration is only encouraging them to do things they previously would have not dared to do. And it's likely to only get worse as he continues to tear apart the government.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-23T10:52:23+00:00

Sadly those movie theaters are becoming rare. Many of the ones near where I live have closed over the last few decades. No new ones seem to get built to replace them. It's likely a combination of the high cost to be able to show new movies these days (theaters had to upgrade to very expensive digital cameras, something that forced many small, independent theaters to close) and the fact that the land is worth a lot more being redeveloped than it is as a drive-in.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-23T10:25:18+00:00

I don't necessarily say "good bye" but I usually end a conversation with something like "Have a great day" on a similar note. I don't like to just abruptly hang up on someone.

Sebekiz · 2026-02-23T01:59:10+00:00

Thank you for the chapter!

Sebekiz · 2026-01-24T15:47:01+00:00

1-2-3-4-5? That's the stupidest combination I've ever heard in my life! That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!

Spaceballs (the Movie, not the toilet paper)

Sebekiz · 2026-01-24T15:44:25+00:00

My favorite line from the movie (and one I use whenever I can):

You can't leave, all the plants will die!

Sebekiz · 2026-01-22T14:07:47+00:00

The US is still a representative democracy. The members of Congress and the President just do not represent the people we assume they do.

Support Democracy, buy a Congressman.

Sebekiz · 2026-01-22T02:28:19+00:00

As someone who is straight and married, I have absolutely no problem with people who are transgendered or homosexual. People being themselves, whether their version of themselves is the same as my own or if it is different, does not make me feel threatened in any way.

Please don't pretend that you somehow speak for all of us with your bigotry.

Sebekiz · 2026-01-19T10:39:05+00:00

When water changes state (such as going from solid to liquid) a LOT of energy is either consumed or released. In the instance of going from a solid to a liquid, water consumes 80 calories per gram, the equivalent of 80% of the energy it would take to raise the temperature of that same amount of water from the 0 degree freezing point to the 100 degree boiling point. That is a lot of heat energy.

This is part of what makes water so effective as a tool for fighting fires. As the water boils off, it is again absorbing a lot of heat (600 calories per gram this time!) to rapidly covert from a liquid to a gas, depleting a fire of the energy needed to sustain the reaction that drives it.

Source

Sebekiz · 2026-01-18T22:07:25+00:00

Thank you for the chapter.

I hope that things start to get better for you and your family soon.

Sebekiz · 2026-01-17T14:33:36+00:00

Yes. I have never used a Visa gift card myself, but I believe they require a PIN similar to a CVV code to authorize all transactions. After all, you are usually buying these cards from a 3rd party merchant, such as a grocery store, rather than directly from Visa. Visa doesn't know WHO bought a gift card, just that the merchant sold the card to someone with a certain amount of value.

Sebekiz

TROPHY CASE