Goats et al

Et al. It's an abbreviation we use in English for the Latin term, et alia, which means "and all that other stuff" or "everyone else."

Goats: It' s been an interesting couple of weeks. I spent my 100 degree days pulling goat fence off a mountain and then installing it on our property, only to have the goats escape and make a mockery of my work. They are peaceful animals, but they don't take to prison well. We are going to have to build a serious fence using cemented posts because the metal stakes aren't cutting it. Between that and cutting out some of overstretched deer fence, we should be ok. Give these guys a whole the size of their head, and you've got problems...

Back: In the process of the above, lifting 80 lb. bags of concrete with bad form, I pulled a muscle in my lower back, which has been bothering me for nearly two weeks. However, today I discovered the magic of Aleve, and I'm back in business as they say. So I chose to buy some for the home pharmacy. This way when the SHTF, and I am outside finishing my survivalist compound, and pull a back muscle, I can pop a few pills and still be ready for guard duty. Seriously, this stuff is rockin'. I went ahead and purchased the generic. Same stuff, lower price.

D&D Diversion: So being kinda laid up and all, I took a stroll down memory lane with Google and downloaded the 1988 Dos version of the game, Pool of Radiance, not to mention the code wheel, Adventurer's Journal, and clue book. Despite it's age, this game has it all: imaginative plot, cool tactics, and personality. The player really feels he is knee deep in another world. Maybe it's because this is the first real fantasy game I ever played. Perhaps, but it's still the best, even with it's several shortcomings.

SurvivalBlog: I've been tuning into SurvivalBlog.com, for lack of anything new and intelligent out there on the forums. SurvivalBlog.com is one of the best resources out there, in my opinion, for articles on SHTF scenarios. Not everything captures my interest, but enough to get me to come back a couple times a week. I imagine their archive is a mine of data and worth perusing. Anyway, once you understand the basics of preparedness, it's all about how far one takes it from there. We are at the (wannabe) homestead level, though it leaves me pulling my hair out when my neighbor shows up to announce that he has my goat...for the 9th time.

But better than survivalblog, is Backwoods Home magazine. Probably the same characters frequent both, but Backwoods is THE best, IMO, source regarding homesteading. They are serious, and seriously cool and more insane than me at that.

Latin & Classical: I've been tuning in to Classical music on the way to work. It helps calm my nerves on my commute after listening to how O and the democrats are destroying the country every day. It's this November or never. We need some authentic hope, and real change. I also want to give Latin a serious go--for it's own sake, because I am really challenged by it, and could fancy myself one day teaching it--but making that a reality is a steep climb. I need to finish my desk first, which requires me to finish my office area in the loft. Process. Process.

That's it in a nutshell, for now.

Over and Out,

--Nick-Dog