Another Friday, and Texas is wide open. I wonder if two weeks from now, there will be a resultant spike in Rona. I guess we will see. I get my first shot today. I finally got an appointment on the Southside of Austin. A 45-minute drive. The local CVS is giving shots, but getting an appointment there is impossible. I will be getting the Pfizer two-shot dose. I keep hearing stories of line jumpers who actually lie about their eligibility. The only positive spin I can think of is that they will be protected and not infect others.

The COVID relief bill passed the house’s final vote. The President is ready to sign. Can any of us even imagine $1.9 Trillion with a T? Well, I did a little research, and if you stacked 1 trillion seven feet high, it would take up 2.2 acres or 96,768 square feet. Almost double for 1.9 Trillion. So say 14 feet high. (By the way, once you stack, it pray the wind doesn’t kick up.) Your cut will be $1,400 unless you make too much money. By too much, we are talking $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples. 8% of households make at least $150,000.

I also want to discuss the fact that I am falling behind on my productivity goals for the next book and feel I have to take some action. You may be aware that my Top Ten Things Not to Do post published on Monday involves a lot of research. The length of time it takes is usually three or more hours to put it to bed. I always felt the time was well spent since the post generally delivered on humor and education. Also, a few history buffs enjoyed the post, and I saw them as muses. Well, they have stopped visiting regularly, so I take this as a hint to revise my schedule. I will be posting a Top Ten list but will pull some of the best from the past. Also, if there is a special day (Like national Pizza Day), I will create new copy since very little research is needed to be ridiculous.

I do hope you understand. Today’s JohnKu talks about keeping an even keel. I hope you have a great weekend.

Adjust by John W.Howell © 2021

When the seas get rough,

The sails need an adjustment  . . .

To weather the storm.

 

 

It is Friday, and what a difference in the neighborhood.  Now that the power is back and the temperatures have gone from below freezing into the high 70s, I have to say I’m a happy camper.

The investigations into the cause of so many homes without power are underway. Six board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the industry nonprofit that operates the grid that supplies power to 90 percent of the state, have resigned. The governor has stated that those resignations do not represent the end of the issue. He has asked the Stare legislature to conduct a full investigation of the root cause of the problem and develop solutions to prevent it from occurring again. He has also called upon the Travis County District Attorney to investigate any basis for criminal charges. This situation needs to be rectified, and it will.

Those most unsympathetic bloggers have used the unfortunate situation to rant about how Texas people should now be sorry they didn’t vote out elected officials and vote in their candidates last November. This is the most insulting shoulda, woulda, coulda imaginable. It’s like telling a flood victim that they should have known better than to live in a flood plain. Such comments directed at the Texas voting population are a disgusting example of political blindness and a total lack of knowledge of the true facts.

One needs to remind these know-it-alls (the most vicious live outside of Texas) that the deregulation of Texas energy in 2002 was supported by Texas’s citizens. They should also know that before this unprecedented weather, Texas’s energy system had been functioning very well under the stress of the extremely high temperatures so common here for most of the year. Although deregulation has not reduced the cost of energy, it has ensured its availability.

Texas tends to take care of its own, and as big a deal non-Texans want to make of Texas’s flaws, we will overcome this current problem. Also, for all those who continue to harp on Ted Cruz’s lack of judgment, let me say he is our problem, and we thank you for sharing your opinions. His future looks bleak and we will have to ride out his term in the Senate.

Today’s JohnKu is a reminder to be careful about criticism.  I hope you have a super weekend.

Criticism by John W. Howell © 2021

It is so easy,

To criticize someone else . . .

Look at yourself first.

 

Well, Friday is here with a promise of temps above freezing. It has been a long week of rolling blackouts and threatened water shortages. I have to say, though, we made it through. A lot of folks had severe damage to their homes from broken water pipes.

We are lucky to be living in a new home that was built with a lot of insulation. We also dripped our faucets for extra protection. It was the dripping that the water company found overwhelming. I guess when you get 11,000 homes dripping faucets all night, it adds up. So they sent a notice on Facebook of all places to knock it off or face water shut off. To us, this is all hearsay since we don’t follow the water department on Facebook. (Wwwhaaatt????) Anyway, tonight is going down to 19 degrees F (-7.2 C. I’m still going to drip. We’ll see if a water shutdown occurs. (I’m such an anarchist, right?)

Looks like all the political folks will be doing investigations to see why the power in the state failed. I think the answer might be that the weather was unprecedented, and no one thought winterizing of the production facilities was necessary. So, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer can stay in cozy Washington. (By the way, since when does having the government involved in an investigation help anyone?)

Let’s give Senator Ted Cruz a big hand for heading to Mexico when his heat went out. You have to feel sorry for those who have no moxie. Even more so for those in public service who don’t hang around and see if they can help.

I see Joe Biden has declared Texas a disaster area yesterday and will be sending generators and bottled water. By the time they get here, it will be 70 degrees. Love the optics, though, Joe.

Today’s JohnKu talks about blame. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Blame by John W. Howell © 2021

When things go badly,

There are some who want to help . . .

Others want to blame.

 

Friday’s here and we are calling it Freez Day. We have temps no higher than the 30s until Wednesday with projections for nighttime temps in the teens or lower. On top of everything they are saying up to 4 inches of snow. As I write this, there is thunder and lightning with rain.

There have been countless accidents on the freeways. In Dallas there was a 100 car pile up. Here in Austin there is a 25 car mess which has the freeway blocked.

Needless to say we are not prepared for this kind of mayhem. The protracted temperatures below freezing will no doubt cause water pipes to burst so that will be another problem for folks.

There is not much we can do about the weather. I would say. “I guess we will stay home,” but that’s what we have been doing since last March.

Today’s John Ku talks about the weather. I hope you all have a super weekend.

The Weather by John W. Howell © 2021

Sometimes the weather,

Makes us feel something is wrong . . .

Then it seems so right.

 

Well, here we are on Friday again. It has seemed like a short week for some reason. I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s busy.

Taxes took up a bit of time this week. I spent 2 1/2 hours on Turbo Tax customer support to fix a problem caused by Microsoft. When I booted up Turbo Tax, I couldn’t get the software updates. I let this situation go several times, but since I bought the disk a while ago, I knew I needed them. I really don’t know what the problem was, but a Microsoft bulletin suggested a couple of fixes that didn’t work. Finally, The tech and I uninstalled the program and then eliminated some programs that looked to be interfering. Long story short, all is well. I had previously saved my work, so nothing was lost except time.

This is Super Bowl weekend, and I always look forward to the commercials. Of course, having two quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady playing against each other should be entertaining.  I guess I’m not alone. The sports pundits are calling this the greatest match-up ever. Who am I to argue. I don’t have a favorite, so I guess whoever plays the best game should win. (DUH John)

Still more executive orders out of Washington. We shall see.

This week’s JohnKu talks about having fun. I hope you all have a great weekend. This week’s view of the neighborhood is a Story walk. See you there.

Super Bowl by John W. Howell © 2021

Yes, time not writing,

Causes us to be stressed out. . .

Time for other fun.

 

Well, here we are, starting day three of the new administration. As I float around the blogs, I see some of those who worked themselves into a frenzy regarding Trump are now writing hate-filled posts about a few in Washington who have a question about the new direction.

I have to wonder why the name-calling and vitriol on these blogs. I was personally looking forward to seeing that kind of behavior stop once Trump was gone. The continued hate-filled sentiments against anyone who is not in favor of the current administration’s expressed plan is exactly what President Biden asked us not to do. Come on, folks, Trump’s team was defeated. Give it a rest. Because folks don’t agree with you, it doesn’t make them any less American for expressing their views. That is unless you want to live in an environment where all opposing views are stifled. Do you? If so, be careful what you wish.

Today’s John Ku talks about free speech. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Free Speech by John W. Howell © 2021

Is free speech defined,

Within how much you agree?

Or is it all speech?