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WEEK 2 2020
Last Week- Sun- Mon- Tue- Wed- Thur- Fri- Sat- Next Week
| Oxnard
Weather
Underground |
Lancaster
Weather
Underground |
Martinez
WeatherUnderground |
Saturday - Got up late, went for breakfast/ lunch at the local Pegg's (there used to be one in Martinez). We didn't do much, Bob drove me around and showed me the sights in Carson City, and they we just hung out at his place and had dinner in.
He has a new television, a 60" 4k Roku unit, very nice. I was unsure before viewing it if 4k makes a discernible difference over HD, but it actually is quite a bit sharper and nicer. He had beeb using the old 50" plasma we gave my father many many years ago. It still works, and is in the back room, but it was ancient tech, and 720p with a small buzzing sound whenever it was turned on.
His old cat, Xeno, is hanging in there. He's had chemo and radiation, and isn't very active - but he still got up and checked me out, rubbed on my clothes to show that he was boss (not those other cats he could scent) and demanded some pats and head scratches before going back to his spot in the sun.
Friday - After starting a bit late, 9:30am, I headed north on the 395, after fueling up in Rosamond at Chevron. The truck drove like a dream, quiet and powerful, barely even noticing the big grades. I didn't push it, stopping several times, once for lunch in Lone Pine, arriving just before sunset in Carson City. There was actually a fair amount of traffic there, but I found Bob's place without issue or any problems.
The Ram averaged 21.6mpg on the way up.
The roads were clear and dry, there was little traffic, and the weather was just about perfect, with the snow on the Sierra's a beautiful sight to the left.
I starting listening to an Audiobook on the way, L.E. Modesitt's The Mongrel Mage. It's phenomenally long, about 25 hours, so I won't be finishing it on this trip! I think it's 19th or 20th in the series, but Modesitt just cranks them out, the characters and plots are almost indistinguishable, which is fine for escapism on a long drive.
Thursday - Packed up the Ram, inflated the tires to the correct pressures, made sure the house was clean and the kitties food and litter was where the neighbor boys could find them. They've watched the critters before, overnight, so it should be fine.
I still worry.
Wednesday - Feeling better. Yay.
It looks like Friday will be clear all the way, with snow predicted tomorrow and Saturday/Sunday. So I'll just drive up between storms.
Book #2 was What Distant Deeps ( RCN #8 ), by David Drake. There are a number of interesting things about the starship technology in this series.
First that they have sails of some high-tech fabric that catches the (fictional) Casimir Radiation in some sort of subspace. There are a lot of masts and rigging on the starships, made more interesting by the author's conceit in making radios impossible to use outside the ship in the bubble universe subspaces (everyone communicates by semaphores and gestures) - it allows a large crew of riggers and sailors, just like in Napoleonic sailing days.
The method of getting into and out of the bubble universes is an even more vague technology, but exiting is described as very unpleasant, painful and disorienting - this is a common trope in fictional drives of this type.
The ships themselves have a hull that sounds a lot like a description of a natural gas or propane cylinder - not very aesthetic.
They also use plasma and antimatter thrusters for 'sidereal' space, and the ships land on water, both to cushion the blast and to use the liquid as a propellant.
None of the book covers show this properly. Many are completely wrong, the rest just finesse the issue. If I was a better artist...
Tuesday - Not feeling good, slight fever and chills. Ugh.
Passed out in the afternoon on the couch, woke up at midnight to let poor Budd in from the garage, fed everyone, started the stove and went to bed.
Monday - Bustling about, doing this and that in preparation for the trip. It's just for a couple of days, but it's been several years since I was on the road for even that long.
The weather report is rain and light snow in the Carson City area, which is fine, but I'm more concerned about the passes in the Sierra. We'll see I guess.
Sunday - Snow on the mountains around the AV, but mostly gone from the valley floor. Cold...
The chains arrived, two pair, so I am good to go for the trip up to Carson City, weather permitting. Chains will get me through a short bit, but if it's a huge storm I'll just stay home.
