Blog/May 2024/May 31st

May 31st

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So: we traded in our car for a new one. The old one was in pretty bad shape, and the dealer was willing to give us enough for it that we could swing it. I was the one who insisted on getting a new car, because Esther is the one who drives and I don’t want her getting stuck somewhere because the car crapped out on her.

Of course, we then had to get insurance. Our current agent gave us a quote which was way out there, more than twice what we’re currently paying. So I shopped around and found one who was able to give us a much better rate — more than what we’re currently paying, but then this is a new car and not one almost a decade old.

So we sent a message to our current agent to cancel the coverage on the old car. They didn’t answer, so I sent another message the next day. They asked for some documents, which I sent. I didn’t hear from them. The next day I messaged them again to ask what was going on. The lady called Esther (who isn’t the policy holder; I don’t know why they had her number) who couldn’t answer them at the time. Anyway, long and frustrating story short: that company sucks and I’m glad we’re done with them. Still haven’t got the policy cancelled, but it’s “in progress”.

Various and sundry:

• Your tax dollars at work: that $320M US-built temporary pier for Gaza washes away due to “bad weather”. Which is curious, since the weather has been calm and pleasant. I mean, it’s not Normandy Beach on D-Day, is it?
• More of your tax $$$: The Department of Labor has a list of five things employers can do “to support menstruators” [sic.].
• Because the US isn’t throwing $$$ into the crapper quickly enough, it is giving “humanitarian assistance” to Syria. Among the vital aid being given: “protection for LGBTQI+ individuals”. Call me a cynic, but I rather doubt Assad will be funneling any aid $$$ to the Rainbow Club of Damascus.
• A cryptographer discusses what it means to be a “secure encrypted messaging app”.
• Mallen on GM mosquitoes released to help control malaria.
• Just in: Trump convicted of a felony (in a politically-motivated kangaroo-court reminiscent of the show-trials of the USSR and PRC). This is going to end well, I’m sure.

Apart from wrangling over insurance, we worked. I was very busy getting my client’s requests finished up. I also managed to make another release of 8th.

Besides all that: when we were in Argentina, Esther got hold of a lot of video tapes her father a”h had recorded, which we wanted to digitize. Checking around, I did find someone who could do the work, but it was pretty expensive (considering how many tapes we have). So I asked around for people with VHS players… and surprisingly, a couple people still had some. One I tried, but it couldn’t play the PAL-format tapes. Another could, after I disassembled it and removed all the coins, toys, and other junk stuck inside it. So now I have a setup which can transfer VHS tapes to MP4 (or whatever) files.

I made a test transfer and was successful, though the quality isn’t as good as I was hoping. I’ll try to see what I can do to improve that.

The weather was pleasant and pretty calm this week (apparently not at the Gaza “pier”). It’s going to warm up over shabbat, and become a heat-wave beginning of the week. So it goes.

This shabbat it’s up to me, since Esther’s out gallivanting this morning. The menu contains:
homemade ḥalla, homemade ḥummus, turkey shawarma, oven-fried potatoes, spicy kohlrabi, Asian cabbage-noodle salad, various salatim, and melon.

Until next time,
shabbat shalom!

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