Thursday July 4, 2024

I woke early and before my alarm. I was up by 7 and had a simple breakfast of coffee, yogurt, and a banana. I did not have the blog to do as I had done it the night before. I headed out in Air Volvo, with my summer hat not forgotten this time, and reached Reedville Creek Park without incident. My legs and body, in general, were still reacting to the extra exercise, and I managed only two laps on the track at the park. I stick with the less risky practice to stop when it hurts.

Two gentlemen were going in the opposite direction on the same track, and I tipped my hat on each passing. I was going fast enough to pass them twice in one lap. They also took a longer lap, passing through another paved track that went by daisies and a picnic area. It was not hot yet, and there was no humidity; it was a very comfortable morning.

Someone had built a model of a lean too in the grass using local items. I remember having to do this in school, but ours was full-sized, and we learned how uncooperative green branches and leaves could be. It brought back memories of 6th-grade school lessons on survival in the woods (yes, the Laingsburg Schools of my memory were not good in college prep, but we learned survival skills). I suspect we don’t do this anymore in public schools. I still carry survival stuff in Air Volvo.

I was disappointed to only reach 2,200 steps in the park (and 3,500 for the day), but I must avoid falling or pulling something. I will go slow for now.

Air Volvo had me back home without much effort. I then returned to my build project. I took a regular 90-degree servo, a tiny 9-gram one, and disassembled it. I then used my newly acquired TS101 Smart Soldering Iron and tried to remove the tiny motor from the small control board. I destroyed the motor when it came out in pieces. I have more. I repeated the processes and managed to be more careful and succeeded in desoldering the motor without damaging it the second time.

The new soldering iron was slow and hard to control. It is also very light, and you could easily burn yourself with it if you are careless. I used my USB battery to power it; the cable was too short, which made it hard to use and unsafe. I will consider a different battery next time and a longer cable. I am not sure I like this high-tech device. It seems slow to heat to me. It is very convenient, small, and light.

I finished Piper Kerman’s Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison yesterday and was now reading a new translation of Homer, which has a huge and interesting introduction covering what we know about Homer, the story, and other interesting subjects. I like Homer and Hesiod, both from ancient Greece. I read Robert Fitzgerald’s translation in college (known for capturing some of the rhythms of the original Greek poem), and now I am trying Emily Wilson’s version, a modern language translation.

But Piper’s book ended with her story of being suddenly dropped into the US federal government’s Con Air system. I thought the prison was evil, and the transportation and holding facilities were hurtful and unnecessarily cruel; more evil. Pop Piper is free, and the story winds up. It is recommended, but it is hard on the reader.

I headed to Matt V’s place and arrived on time for the July 4th party; I was the first person there. I stayed for burgers, chips, and a beer and chatted with many Dungeons and Dragons players. We talked about the new version coming out soon, with us hoping for a consolidation and not a new version, 5.5E. I watched a game of Grizzled (a cooperative card game based on WW1 trench warfare–I liked what I saw) and headed home at 4.

Pablo, kitty-corner from the Volvo Cave, was setting up a BBQ and fireworks. He sets off a lot of stuff, as do many folks. In recent years, it has not been as bad as it was in the past when it felt like we were in a warzone. I took a short nap as I was standing for much of the time at Matt V’s and was tired.

I got a chair, soon headed over there, sat, and had a hot dog or two and chips. The explosives were pretty and very loud. Pablo shared that he is LDS, and the missionary guys came for food later, still wearing the Eldar badges. We had a nice time, and Chris, Harper, and Chris’s mother (next door to my house) joined in watching the fireworks. I stayed for a few hours, eating more chips and watching legal and extra-legal locally purchased pyrotechnics, but the smoke and the dry air started to impact my left eye, which was still not blinking and closing properly. I thanked my host. I picked up my chair and headed back to the Volvo Cave. I took another nap; I am tired this evening.