Douglas

I have moved to a different server. I'll delete this account after a few weeks. If you follow me or I follow you, probably you've been automatically added on the other account already.

Opinions my own, not my employer, etc.

Toots auto un-toot after one week.

Public Key

npub17scs5mqkkunxmp6uu37lhnq3dnh95k5uafeqwaamu9wv8x86gdysfwauzf

NIP-05 Address

douglasvb_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0gvg2dsttwfndsawwgl0mesgkemj6t2ww5us8w7a7zhxrnrayxjgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dset522h

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub17scs5mqkkunxmp6uu37lhnq3dnh95k5uafeqwaamu9wv8x86gdysfwauzf

Show more details

Last Notes

2025-11-10 16:28:45 UTC

- reply

with a sawzall, any vehicle can be a convertible.

2025-11-06 15:31:54 UTC

- reply

oooo I should go look for the remnants of the Death Valley Germans 🤪
If I had a group of capable trucks, I'd do the Warm Springs Road from Panamint Valley to Death Valley. I could do it safely based on the latest trip reports for that area but people travel it seldomly enough that the consequences of a breakdown there would be up to a week waiting for someone to show up.

2025-11-06 15:12:41 UTC

- reply

thank you for reminding me of those dunes!
It'll be interesting to figure out which roads are still closed. I hope the park website is still current enough. I believe Titus Canyon is still closed which is sad because that was one of my favorite drives as a kid.
I've been trying to get my 👸🏼 to go out to Death Valley for eight years since we moved to California. Hopefully I can make this trip fun enough she's willing to go back again.

2025-11-06 05:23:58 UTC

We're looking at spending seven or eight days in the #DeathValley region this winter. I used to spend a few weeks around the holidays every year down there as a kid. I've got a long list of places I remember and want to visit but I'm interested to know what 🐘 recommends in the area
We'll have a capable truck and I'm experienced with remote unsupported desert 4x4 driving
We'll probably stay a few nights at Tecopa. And maybe Ash Meadows. Then in the park as well
What are your recommendations?

2025-11-03 03:13:41 UTC

A few scenes from #BigSur #California this afternoon. We did a quick drive down and back to take the back road one more time before it closes for the season.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/483/576/627/076/958/original/fdd32393cd12fe8a.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/483/576/806/858/910/original/844b5017fd74fbb9.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/483/576/964/052/347/original/b40ae9d06c329e8b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/483/577/101/277/140/original/4914a290c89226b8.jpg

2025-10-31 16:02:37 UTC

- reply

the California insurance market is quite interesting. It's always on the brink. The California Earthquake Authority which provides earthquake insurance (via private insurance companies) has big warnings that if the disaster is large enough, everyone won't be made whole. When the money runs out, it runs out unless the state adds more into the pot. I think it's similar with the California FAIR Plan.
The fires in LA really stretched the FAIR plan. We'll see if it breaks.

2025-10-31 15:51:47 UTC

- reply

yiiiiiiiiiiiikes.
That'll be hella bad if the idea makes it to other states.
At least California has the FAIR Plan which makes it possible to have fire insurance here.

2025-10-27 04:05:45 UTC

I just got back from a wonderful trip through the New Idria and the Clear Creek Management Area with the spicy section known as the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern. What an absolutely fascinating mining district! It's gorgeous there and also bizarre.
I'm going to get my truck deep cleaned tomorrow to minimize any remaining short fiber asbestos that I picked up along the way.
I think I'll go out there again in the spring when everything is in bloom.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/444/134/184/577/125/original/90859abcf67b4f0e.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/444/134/380/324/626/original/9b6df8442d703ae1.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/444/134/617/699/879/original/d67cb18b96d44ad4.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/444/134/779/010/636/original/102796306fc29580.jpg

2025-10-23 22:15:38 UTC

- reply

I've got a third one cooking. Waiting for my co author to come up for air after he defends his PhD next month so we can finish that one.

2025-10-23 21:55:36 UTC

- reply

I'm currently arguing with Springer about the title of the one book 🤣 it just needs a bit more editing and it's ready to be published.
The other book is still in pieces and I need to spend more time on it.

2025-10-23 21:49:54 UTC

Woo another journal manuscript accepted! Two in one week!
And I was elected to chair an important council/board for a major international technical society in my discipline today, too.
Now if I can just get these two books published by next August I should be able to go up for full professor or move institutions and get it as part of the deal.
#academicChatter

2025-10-23 14:40:22 UTC

- reply

we actually got a little rain down here in Monterey! And snow at Forked Meadow!

2025-10-21 03:57:07 UTC

- reply

that would be so cool and also probably bag lolol

2025-10-09 01:15:05 UTC

✅ voted

2025-10-01 03:57:24 UTC

- reply

😎😎 it's a federal government shutdown😎😎
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/296/897/682/073/620/original/8130af1725d76dc1.mp4

2025-09-30 04:51:09 UTC

Hmm will tomorrow be my last day of work with my current employer 🤔
Never a dull moment when relying on people far away to come to a funding consensus.

2025-09-29 16:57:20 UTC

- reply

probably buying on the West Coast because this is where we'd start from. Would be looking to circle around the continent.

2025-09-29 14:34:22 UTC

- reply

the plan would be to travel extensively. We might have to be in a marina for a year or two to wrap up some things though.

2025-09-29 03:56:18 UTC

- reply

I wonder how beat up it is after 20 years of daily charter use.
My 👰🏼‍♀️ is slowly coming around to getting a boat to live on 😁 but she's wanting a catamaran because that's what she worked on when doing live board dive boats. I'd rather have a motor boat than a sail boat though.

2025-09-29 03:02:21 UTC

Hmm this is a pretty decent price on a catamaran of that size... https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2005-lagoon-440-9913507/
It's got quite a few hours on that engine but a new crate motor of those exact specs is about $5500 and I just happen to know a guy (me) who is a decent mechanic.
I wonder how that boat would hold up going through the Northwest Passage or down to Antarctica 🤔

2025-09-29 02:47:50 UTC

#SilentSunday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/285/296/091/877/919/original/71bb4e830a676004.jpg

2025-09-29 02:45:56 UTC

- reply

I prefer to sleep alone above treeline or on rock outcroppings versus down in the trees or around meadows or bodies of water. There are way fewer critters to disturb my sleep with their skittering around way up high.
Also I as a rule stay away from anywhere that looks like a funeral pyre site or a former camp/village/etc. location. The vibes can get off really fast in those locations in the back country 😬

2025-09-23 04:15:07 UTC

- reply

that WB-57 is so gorgeous. Is that the last one flying?

2025-09-23 04:14:26 UTC

- reply

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/251/664/710/089/246/original/cc245cf0fdaf04a9.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/251/664/910/885/392/original/ac61cce3663e69b2.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/251/665/641/781/698/original/986dc842135b75dc.mp4

2025-09-22 21:48:34 UTC

- reply

they have also been using drones like this for wildfire surveillance on occasion.

2025-09-17 18:50:55 UTC

- reply

fingers crossed it's a good solution!
It looks like it's a twist lock so you shouldn't need to glue it in place but if you do need to glue it, you'll need to find compatible glue and ideally something that can be removed later such as RTV caulking.
(I think RTV should be compatible but don't quote me on that)

2025-09-17 18:43:26 UTC

- reply

for what it's worth, that looks like a standard design and there are replacement parts available. This looks like it's probably a direct replacement but I can't see enough of the gravestone to be sure: https://ebay.us/m/2fm930
And it's 3D printed out of plastic so it probably won't be targeted by metal thieves.

2025-09-14 14:43:00 UTC

The #GarnetFire seems to be behaving itself this morning. It's pretty darn smokey at #ForkedMeadow but not as bad as some prior days. It looks like they've had good success in continued back burning around Bear Meadow, Dinkey Mountain, and McKinley Grove Road. They appear to still be working at getting the last little bit of line around the fire near McKinley Grove where the sequoias are.
Maybe we'll see some black line showing up in the #DinkeyCreek area in the coming days.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/203/161/362/594/880/original/c73b69a007a2ae59.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/203/167/979/834/423/original/ae8b39240fb133f3.png

2025-09-14 04:20:35 UTC

The glow from the #GarnetFire continues although tonight it's diminished as compared to prior nights.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/200/725/736/707/175/original/68c11e86a4bc8da6.png

2025-09-11 23:28:54 UTC

It turns out the Monterey Bay Aquarium now has beer and cocktails for sale... And you can walk around the aquarium while drinking.
They're leaning in hard to the millennial market segment.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/188/255/087/744/202/original/f496e3d73d85bd58.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/188/255/253/420/041/original/aa76b603023b1b00.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/188/255/543/804/813/original/4473c7d9de284c98.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/188/255/866/119/348/original/82930372e6adc6c1.jpg

2025-09-11 23:26:28 UTC

- reply

we've driven past that mega solar project in Fresno county. The soil out there looks like it's got a lot of salt in it. I'm not sure if you'd be able to grow much more out there even with water 😬
Seems like the solar is a good solution unless we're going to allow the lake to reform.

2025-09-11 22:59:57 UTC

- reply

I wonder if it will ever get built

2025-09-06 02:17:58 UTC

- reply

one of our local beers! 😍

2025-09-03 03:45:53 UTC

- reply

I know if I ever get lost to spread out a mylar blanket and wait for the satellite pass so Ben can find me 😂

2025-09-03 03:23:49 UTC

- reply

at least they could call out for help!
Brush can be no joke if you get into the really thick stuff.

2025-09-03 02:43:57 UTC

- reply

And this is why I carry a satellite transponder anywhere outside of built-up areas. At least they'll find my body so people aren't left wondering.

2025-09-03 02:39:43 UTC

- reply

I just wonder how many bodies there are out there of people who didn't get lucky and who never were found or maybe never even missed. It must be a lot.

2025-09-03 02:37:01 UTC

- reply

... had broken his glasses and the other guys couldn't read maps.
My parents just happened to be hanging out on a long weekend off at the one critical point when these guys wandered by.

2025-09-03 02:35:50 UTC

- reply

there are a number of sporty routes in the greater Middle Fork of the Kings drainage that lead to similar disasters for the unprepared. Even following the Middle Fork out of Tehipite ends in disaster due to a canyon of big boulders and choked with brush two stories tall in places.
My parents saved some guys who did not realize where they were from that fate just before they went past the point of no return. The one guy who knew how to read maps ...

2025-09-03 02:31:59 UTC

- reply

There are a few instances where following water downstream can end disastrously such as if you follow the water down from Mt Harrington towards the Middle Fork of the Kings River into Tehipite Valley. You end up traversing the Gorge of Despair which requires technical ropes skills and lots of gear.
But otherwise yeah it's a good plan.

2025-09-03 02:06:01 UTC

- reply

isn't rule number two of guns that it's always loaded no matter what you think so treat it like it's loaded?
And rule number one is only point it at sometime you want to kill.
One of these days we need to get the flintlock rifle that my grandma has from our ancestors checked out because I'm pretty sure it's been loaded since the 1840s 😬😬😬

2025-08-29 23:33:16 UTC

RIP to the Western Oregon power grid. Especially the northwest coast.
Good luck to anyone who needs power during the coming heat wave. Hopefully they can get the thing that just went 💥 fixed quickly.

2025-08-04 03:57:00 UTC

Well here's where our friends died in that plane crash from last week. There's a nice little memorial for them. We found an aqua sock in the surf that we added to it. I wonder if it might have come from their luggage.
The big underwater photo contest in town this weekend was an impromptu memorial for them with the scuba community.
The plane went into the drink in only 15 feet of water but at a high rate of speed and acceleration.
https://www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_news/a-community-mourns-as-the-ntsb-begins-its-investigation-into-a-pacific-grove-plane-crash/article_61bd1fa9-aaa7-4853-ad49-8c06166a454c.html
#N8796R
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/968/457/886/340/772/original/86f57f6bfaf82593.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/968/458/029/540/307/original/99dde6d8d6a1894f.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/968/458/164/030/040/original/659a2298d4ef3160.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/968/458/382/522/388/original/215057cc60a50027.jpg

2025-07-26 23:49:29 UTC

- reply

we've all heard of tech bros but before tech bros there were asbestos bros 🤣
It is a really cool mineral. Too bad it's mega deadly when inhaled 😬
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/922/198/928/730/576/original/ffef17c400c53982.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/922/199/329/895/754/original/0ad26628668e4b32.mp4

2025-07-26 23:41:11 UTC

- reply

there's a song on the Dr Dimento Christmas CD that has a line about asbestos children's sleepwear 😅😬
Meanwhile I'm waiting until the first rains of fall to go explore the asbestos hazard zone in the BLM Clear Creek Unit near me.

2025-07-12 05:56:16 UTC

We watched #KpopDemonHunters tonight on #Netflix and it was actually a surprisingly good movie.
I guess it was an allegory about someone being different. Maybe someone who is part Korean and part some other nationality/race?
I loved the tiger and the magpie 😍
It had surprisingly good and catchy music.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/838/710/443/158/174/original/a234148ba57adc61.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/838/711/523/589/317/original/6ff4bd3f25340fce.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/838/716/006/016/611/original/77608ec7890ed4b8.mp4
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/838/717/622/159/279/original/b9e9b7a6770af9c6.mp4

2025-07-08 03:30:26 UTC

- reply

I looked into it years ago in Oregon. At the time it only required three adults and a regular religious service. A couple buddies and I nearly formed a church so we could get tax exempt status when we were looking at buying a church compound.
Yes, this is a normal thing to consider doing in Oregon.
Yes, there are a lot of cults in Oregon.

2025-07-05 23:08:44 UTC

- reply

And for fans of vintage technology...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/803/133/324/679/409/original/511391fa445453ba.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/803/133/514/817/836/original/e6c748b6229fe314.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/803/133/727/470/788/original/28c4726c55935cd5.jpg

2025-07-05 21:45:15 UTC

For sale at the local #HabitatForHumanity in #Marina #California
I wonder why their family didn't want this huge oil painting 😅
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/802/809/927/676/037/original/17cd53310a765d85.jpg

2025-07-05 18:03:04 UTC

- reply

interesting that First Street is a pay to play situation. I guess people with money will know and the rest won't.

2025-07-05 15:24:26 UTC

- reply

I wonder how many thousand year floods Texas will get this year.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/801/308/670/099/290/original/aa23a17df40a9ad0.mp4

2025-07-05 14:50:16 UTC

- reply

Wait wasn't it literally just yesterday when the flash flood outside San Antonio wiped out Camp Mystic? I feel like that has to have been a 1 in 500 or 1 in 1000 year flood there, too...
😬

2025-07-04 04:53:43 UTC

- reply

hmmm yet another reason to buy an RV...
And now I wonder about my parents with how much time they spend in their RV in the desert 🤔

2025-07-03 13:32:57 UTC

- reply

there's a morbid joke about something similar...
"My neighbor told me coyotes keep eating his outdoor cats so I asked how many cats he has and he said he just goes to the animal shelter and gets a new cat afterwards so I said it sounds like he's just feeding shelter cats to coyotes and then his daughter started crying."
I know people who did this in the past until they realized what they were doing 🙄

2025-07-03 13:24:43 UTC

- reply

I don't have much sympathy for that argument. Where my parents live I must be careful of mountain lions and bears. And now wolves are starting to move back into the area after being absent for over 100 years. So we don't let my friends young children outside without supervision and I know the risks when I go on walks alone.
A few years ago, the neighbors had livestock (family pets - they were llamas) killed by a bear.
It's part of living close to nature.

2025-07-02 23:13:32 UTC

So when #NOAA and the #NWS go away, how expensive would it be to setup DIY community weather radars? And what does the licensing process look like for that?
I could get access to a tower with a commanding view of the California Central Valley and the central Sierra Nevada...
No doubt @npub1ucv…5a8g would put one on his roof...

2025-06-30 04:17:55 UTC

- reply

somehow a deer broke into our fortified strawberry pen and ate the strawberry leaves a few weeks ago 😮‍💨

2025-06-29 23:07:16 UTC

#SilentSunday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/769/161/142/200/769/original/d8a4a494853c07e3.png

2025-06-29 14:20:50 UTC

I have no faith in the public land steal actually being dead.
https://mastodon.social/@npub103x…2vux/114764501098325138

2025-06-22 03:11:51 UTC

I am coming to agree with the view that men are too emotional to be in leadership positions 😬

2025-06-09 02:53:21 UTC

#SilentSunday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/651/139/369/851/454/original/8e9c1ece1b5150c8.jpg

2025-06-07 15:02:27 UTC

- reply

I think that's what I'm going to do...
It seems like I need to pull the Roth funds out first because there is some minimum amount required to be in the annuity portion of the account (the 403b pre tax account?)...
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/642/637/945/314/232/original/82f0400e5e885dcb.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/642/640/887/021/327/original/5367fd1e83272154.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/642/643/800/097/004/original/7b98f172ca18c1b1.png

2025-06-07 14:25:00 UTC

Trying to figure out how to transfer 403b and Roth IRA funds from Equitable to Vanguard is not straight forward.
I was able to get the form from Equitable but it's not clear to me what I need to do in Box 2a and Box 2b so that I do not have a taxable event. I've got both a 403b and a Roth IRA with Equitable.
Do I need to do this in two steps? One for the 403b and then later a second for the Roth IRA?
#investing #retirement

2025-06-02 13:55:51 UTC

#MountainMonday in the #SierraNevada #Yosemite with several famous chunks of granite making an appearance. #SierrasForever
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/614/105/664/544/931/original/aecd9da8688a1f05.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/614/105/924/750/337/original/1e5afffd8d959e7d.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/614/106/112/477/803/original/4308b645cdf7e6c1.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/614/106/240/153/791/original/232ac37a5dccaaa0.jpg

2025-05-15 19:01:32 UTC

- reply

an acquaintance in Colorado has a business converting old 4x4s to be fully electric usually using leaf parts. He makes it look pretty easy if you've got a shop and know a bit about welding and electronics.

2025-05-15 02:22:36 UTC

- reply

is that all dust in the air or actual chaff?

2025-05-09 00:46:43 UTC

- reply

that's pretty apocalyptic.

2025-05-06 02:14:47 UTC

Is #meadowMonday a thing?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/458/469/989/060/592/original/f44631b13aa07f6d.jpg

2025-04-28 13:19:37 UTC

- reply

this outage made me look up the map of CESA to see what is connected to it. I didn't realize that Algeria and Tunisia are connected via Morocco to Spain and the rest of Europe.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europe_Synchronous_Area

2025-04-28 12:54:06 UTC

- reply

it's going to be interesting to see what the root cause was. I've been doing a little work the last several years on an energy resilience project for a facility in that region. Maybe this will speed up some of the work.

2025-04-27 05:48:24 UTC

- reply

haha me too!
I also like artists such as Simon Stålenhag who do really interesting things with regular scenes but with out of place technology.

2025-04-27 05:41:19 UTC

- reply

just getting ready for bed over here in California. We recycled a bunch of cardboard today and went to several thrift stores to look for any interesting painting (nothing good this time).

2025-04-10 14:20:24 UTC

It's summer in #Monterey #California because the fog is here! If the NWS was fully staffed and able to do what they normally do, we probably would have a dense fog advisory.
Current temp is 52f.
#CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/314/102/776/911/197/original/1c4e288d1213e04a.png

2025-04-09 03:08:57 UTC

- reply

I wish we could afford a mid century modern house in an area with good jobs. Love that style!

2025-04-04 13:56:11 UTC

- reply

🎶Here comes the sun doo doo doo doo🎶
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/280/035/009/364/103/original/f771dabc19f94271.jpg

2025-04-04 13:50:41 UTC

It's 44f in #Monterey #California and I hear the conch shell woman a few blocks away blowing on her shell to welcome the new day.
No precipitation or weather of any note is in the forecast for the central coast for the foreseeable future. It looks like summer is just around the corner.
#CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/280/011/502/738/579/original/a5e688b70b8fff2e.png

2025-04-02 13:42:56 UTC

It is a cold (46f) mostly clear morning here in #Monterey #California. No weather of note is in the forecast for the foreseeable future. I wonder how long until fog season starts?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/268/654/713/079/154/original/ea4d99384db6e88f.jpg

2025-04-02 13:39:29 UTC

About a foot of new #snow fell at #ForkedMeadow #California at the tail end of the storm overnight after about 2" of rain. It's currently 13f under a clear sky.
There's a chance of snow showers the next day or so but then after that it's looking like clear spring weather.
Was this the last storm of the season?
#CaWx #SierraNevada #SierrasForever #Mountains #ShaverLake
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/268/638/766/444/596/original/97f0104f421bce9d.png

2025-04-01 13:54:38 UTC

After a bit over 2" of rain yesterday, #ForkedMeadow #California received about 2" of snow overnight. It is now 20f under partly-cloudy skies. Today the meadows might receive up to a foot of snow. The next band of moisture should arrive in an hour.
For the water year we're around 40" of precipitation. I don't have an exact number because our automated weather station has no way of measuring snow moisture so it's estimated
#CaWx #SierraNevada #SierrasForever #Mountains #ShaverLake #DinkeyCreek
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/263/034/194/387/961/original/ff3a02893e2c9916.png

2025-03-29 15:51:21 UTC

- reply

Hopefully they all can find young people near them who can help them do this. There's no way that I can fly all over the country helping them all out.
I understand the great importance of having strong security but probably half the country or more will not be able to get into their #socialSecurity accounts via the Internet.
In theory you can request one of these documents via the mail and the other via the telephone system but you might be waiting a long time to get that document.

2025-03-29 15:48:36 UTC

- reply

And this requires that they have a cell phone and their drivers license or state ID. Or they have to go to a USPS service counter to get verified in person.
I had last accessed my SSA online account in February and I had to do all these new verification steps today to get access.
I don't have too much hope that my relatives will actually be successful in accessing their accounts to get these important documents. While they all use computers regularly, the new SSA login process is complex.

2025-03-29 15:45:55 UTC

On the weekly video call with my US-based elderly family members I mentioned to them that they all should have copies of their #SocialSecurity statements and benefits verification letters saved and printed out. They all were shocked by this. And these are people who are following the news and are concerned about what's happening.
None of them had used the #SSA website before. I put together a little guide for them which amounts to 25 steps (assuming they already have a login dot gov account).

2025-03-28 04:28:38 UTC

- reply

my dad talked about watching the bombers go into box canyons and pop over the ridges at the last moment as they unloaded their retardant. You've gotta be very confident in your release mechanism to be doing that.
Both my parents also talk about B52s flying through canyons in the high Sierra Nevada in the 70s when they were wilderness rangers in the back country. 😬

2025-03-28 02:56:45 UTC

- reply

there's nothing quite like a low pass of an air tanker 😍

2025-03-25 14:12:57 UTC

It is still 70f in the house after yesterday's warm weather in #Monterey #California. Outside it's 60f. I suspect today will be hot, too. Do I need to get the portable AC unit out of the garage already?!
The air smells dry outside although the finished is still about 50% where the sensor sits on the patio.
Maybe we'll get fog rolling in a bit later today to cool things off 🤞🏼
#CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/223/333/346/312/440/original/32e98a73ee81cba7.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/223/365/300/645/096/original/19c1eab69e9e021a.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/223/365/430/118/210/original/2aefe6dfb74ea989.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/223/478/022/309/782/original/c838cf17dbb96748.jpg

2025-03-24 13:51:01 UTC

It feels like summer is here in #Monterey #California where it is currently 49f with a clear sky ahead of #sunrise. Yesterday we had our first fog of the season spilling over the hill from Pacific Grove. That means it was warm enough inland to pull the cold air from the ocean over shore.
In the summer here we're usually shrouded in fog most of the day. We get fog season for about five months a year.
#CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/217/721/549/525/333/original/c6dca93384f9da61.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/217/721/669/547/828/original/ad9d88193ea393d3.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/217/721/788/041/099/original/ec4519a3ae86fb14.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/217/721/920/541/624/original/65397e45f996a295.jpg

2025-03-15 14:21:26 UTC

A little early for #silentSunday but the snow is still pretty!
#ForkedMeadow has about four feet of snow on the ground now and the next storm is coming in on Sunday night with another half foot or more expected.
Currently it's 14f after an overnight low of 12f.
#CaWx #California #ShaverLake #DinkeyCreek #SierrasForever #SierraNevada #Mountains
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/166/875/347/870/607/original/be77e857ffb68fdf.png

2025-03-12 14:25:11 UTC

Both my 👸🏼 and I woke up with small headaches this morning. Either it's something we both ate last night or it's the change in the weather coming into #California. Right now in #Monterey it's 53f when some clouds and a sense of foreboding.
#CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/149/916/778/807/748/original/9202ddb98749fc1f.jpg

2025-03-10 14:18:56 UTC

- reply

The sunrise keeps getting better! If you're in Monterey get outside ASAP!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/138/566/808/573/184/original/187f8a6bdfc753e5.jpg

2025-03-10 14:14:18 UTC

Ugh can we please get rid of the time change so I don't feel like garbage for a few weeks every spring?
It's currently 40f. We might be getting some pretty good rain later this week.
#Monterey #California #CaWx
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/138/549/174/902/883/original/e07455fedf371c4f.jpg

2025-03-07 04:12:41 UTC

- reply

huh I didn't see any with skis when I was up there last winter. Saw some without skis though. Is it more of a summer thing?

2025-03-06 02:12:52 UTC

- reply

how do those pens do with air travel? Anything special I would need to do with them for rapid changes in pressure?

2025-03-06 01:32:27 UTC

- reply

I've been fountain pen-curious but I've got no idea where to start. Is there a cost effective point of entry just to give it a try for fun?

2025-03-03 00:08:32 UTC

I need to find a plug that I can remotely operate via the internet. It should work via wifi. It would be nice if it were actually secure and not some massive security hole in the network. It would be used to power cycle a Raspberry Pi periodically when the Raspberry Pi crashes and I can't get to it in person for weeks at a time.
#SmartHome #IoT

2025-02-27 18:17:43 UTC

- reply

it's not too much different in North American engineering academic circles. It's all about who you know and how much they like you.

2025-02-27 17:59:13 UTC

- reply

it's interesting how long the hiring process in academia often takes.

2025-02-25 15:04:52 UTC

- reply

this sent me down a delightful rabbit hole of looking at a bunch of maps of the area and now I would really like to visit Hay River.

2025-02-22 01:49:57 UTC

Just saw a #bobcat while out walking our #cat Oliver. Oliver tried to run over to attack the bobcat and the bobcat was sauntering over to get a tasty Oliver snack.
I was able to grab Oliver and carry him home but he's still mad at me that I didn't let him tangle with a bobcat 🙄
#Monterey #California #wildlife

2025-02-15 23:21:27 UTC

- reply

you've gotta go to the marina office and ask!
Our local marina has a list of boats for sale both by owner and by the marina. They put the list on their website but many marinas don't.

2025-02-15 23:12:07 UTC

- reply

the only way you could consider back burnering it is if you pull it out of the water and make it a lawn ornament. But even then... Maintenance must be done.