Chronic's Research and Aeronautics Project (C.R.A.P.)

[TheChronicOne]

You've obviously got a good reputation locally.  That's important.

Indeed it is. Hard to get one, easy to lose one, so you need to keep at it, which you obviously do 

I was thinking about you while mowing my own grass this morning.  It only takes me 20 minutes.  I was thinking how glad I was it doesn't take longer.

Get a goat 

Retention is where it's at. So far the only people that have "fired" me have done it for none-production reasons. Things like them moving away.. or.. well, one guy hired me to do his yard because he had knee surgery and after he healed up he went back to doing it himself since it's sort of a hobby for him. One guy I priced out of contention because his yard was a pain in the arse and it kept getting worse and worse. So... he dropped me for awhile because I jacked up the price on him for his delinquency in cleaning the yard and letting it grow too tall. That's the closest I've come to someone not being happy with my service and even him came crawling back later calling me "Hey can you come cut my lawn?"  I said, "Sorry, brotha, but I've since taken on more work and can't fit it in the shedule!"  Never had anyone say, "Well, I just don't like the work you do. "   

[TheChronicOne]

I seem to recall a news story or something about a lawn service that was just a dude and his herd of goats.  lol

[TheChronicOne]

Not even started yet and I'm already sick of this mowing season. First the truck, now the mower. I spent 4 hours getting a mower together and running as my frontline mower. It's the only one I have that is good enough for it and some people came and stole it.    So, now I'm not only having to replace the mower but I'm losing money having to cancel paying work because I can't do it any more. I don't have the money for this poo-poo, either. I have JUST ENOUGH to get a new mower but then I will have about $30 left to make it over 3 weeks on. I haven't even done my grocery shopping. I'm going to run out of fuel before too long, as well. Wasted all morning trying to track down the stolen mower instead of making money. Now, I'm going to try to find a place that will give me a line of credit to buy a new one so I can buy food.       If not... well... I'll have to go ahead and buy the new mower and HOPE people start needing their lawns mowed but it's a little early for that. Only reason I was doing this work today was because it's a scalp job... these are some of my "rich people" customers and they spring for all the fancy stuff but the bulk of my customers won't really have me doing their lawns for another couple weeks or so. We'll see how it goes I guess. If one other thing goes wrong, I don't know what I'll do.

Anyway. I was going to spend some time today working on my Pluto but so much for that. Next bit of "free time" I find will be spent doing all the crap I was supposed to have done today. I was supposed to get back to work on the yellow truck to get it running again this afternoon but instead of that, I'm going to have to go around trying to get credit for a mower or wind up buying one outright. Not only this, but if I don't get a deluge of lawns to mow with in the next 3 weeks (I doubt it, but we ARE getting an Early spring, so who knows) I'm going to be back in the same boat because next month's big bill is insurance on my vehicles. Of course, that money is being spent today on a mower if I have to get it... so....  this is a domino effect thing that could last a couple months.

It's a shame I didn't catch them in the act, I would have blown both their heads smooth off their shoulders.

[TheChronicOne]

It should work out just fine. Went and got a mower. Found what I need and saved about $100 so I have a little bit of money to work with and I'm going to get some food stamps to help with that problem.  If I can hold out for another month or so the lawn money will be coming in finally.  All this stuff happened before I was ready to deal with it!   But uhhh... I'm operational again until the next thing breaks or goes missing. 

This is why I hate people that chastis poor folk and say stupid things like, "Well, just go get another job" or... "Well, just go do this and that!"  They live in their safety bubble not knowing remotely what it's like living paycheck to paycheck with the threat of the whole operation collapsing from one thing going wrong. They don't have to worry about health or money problems sitting off in their ivory towers with their nice jobs with benefits while down here in the land of crap where wages are garbage and workers are treated as less than garbage reality is dealt with. "oh, just move somewhere else!"  Easy for some rich person to say....... I can't even move two blocks away for less than $1,500 let alone abandoning my obligations to move thousands of miles away to some place that values hard work.
I'm pretty frustrated. It's easy to tell. But uhh.... like I said, for now, I'm back on track and if I can hold it together for a month I'll be in good shape again. 

Edited out my politics.     

[zenrat]

Thieving dumbasses should get their hands cut off.
Stealing something someone needs to make their living is just despicable.  This is a tool of your trade.  It's not on.

What's the situation in OK if you catch a burglar and blow their head off?
I was once told by a police officer in the UK that I could kill a burglar as long as I did it with one blow of my softball bat and put a knife in their (cold dead) hand as that would make it self defence.
Here on the other hand there is a lot of space in which to lose a body.
Trouble is, as they say in No Country for Old Men, as soon as another person knows what you have done then you will be caught.
All, "allegedly" and a hypothetical discussion of course.

[NARSES2]

Stealing something someone needs to make their living is just despicable.  This is a tool of your trade.  It's not on.

Absolutely agree with you.

Interestingly we were only discussing what could be considered to be in "self defence" under UK law down the pub on Thursday for some reason. At the end we just decided we didn't know, it's very complicated.

[TheChronicOne]

Here it's pretty lax. We have castle doctrine, stand your ground, and make my day laws and all that stuff. Since these people were on my property stealing my property I could have just walked out there and started shooting, killed them outright, and would be under strutiny for a few days then most likely nothing at all would happen. Now.... had I done something like chase them down half an hour later and out in public or somewhere else shoot them then I'd be thrown in prison.

I'd have no qualms shooting someone full of holes for stealing my livelihood. Hell, even if out in public if I catch them doing it IN THE ACT I can shoot them dead.  "Feared for me life" and "I'm too old to be tussling with thieves" and all that. I'm not risking my life and livelihood hoping this person isn't hopped up on drugs and in a super state and I can't tell if they're packing weapons or not. No time to suss this out..... it's open fire and shoot to kill. No shoot to wound, shoot to kill. If you're serious about ending a threat, you unload until they stop moving.

[NARSES2]

Here it's pretty lax. We have castle doctrine, stand your ground,

Does that vary from State to State ?

[TheChronicOne]

Indeed it does! Not at all uniform across the 50 states and however many protectorates we have (like Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.).

https://www.oklahoma-criminal-defense.com/media/oklahomas-castle-doctrine-and-stand-your-ground-laws

Here's a nice site that breaks down our stuff here in Oklahoma and explains why I can use deadly force on someone trying to steal things from me. Of note are sections such as this one:

"C. A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."

"D. A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter the dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle of another person, or a place of business is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence."

Have to be up on all this stuff as a gun/business/home owner.  I hate to even have to worry about and study on this crap but then again thievery and violence are a way of life for some and us little people need a means of dealing with it.


Edit: Oh yeah!!!! An update. Forgot about that. I feel slightly less depressed and angry today so in an attempt to help usher normalcy back into my life I've been slowly working on the Pluto. I'm trying t figure out how to create the whole landing gear and gear bays and doors system. I'm no engineer and no aircraft designer so this is downright painful. Taking many leaps of faith here....  I've already been cutting some of my pieces up so I guess I'm in it to win it, now. Going to make this stuff work SOMEHOW. 

[NARSES2]

Indeed it does! Not at all uniform across the 50 states and however many protectorates we have (like Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.).

https://www.oklahoma-criminal-defense.com/media/oklahomas-castle-doctrine-and-stand-your-ground-laws

Fascinating stuff, especially from a European/Brit's point of view.

Here in the U.K. whilst England, Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland have different criminal and civil codes (or at least variations on them) they are broadly similar, especially when it comes to the "major issues". Scottish Law is the most dissimilar one from English, purely for historical reasons. Indeed it is a completely separate code and has its own judicial system.

Edit: Oh yeah!!!! An update. Forgot about that. I feel slightly less depressed and angry today so in an attempt to help usher normalcy back into my life I've been slowly working on the Pluto.

Good to hear 

[TheChronicOne]

Cheers! Feel even better today. Figured I'd be pissed off longer than I have been so this is good. Normally when someone steals my stuff I'm in a bad mood for 5-6 days. 


As for the rest... I find it interesting, too!  The more ya look into it, the more you realize that we're like the EU, really.... a nation of nations. Makes for all kinds of interesting situations but a lot of dumb ones, too. You can have a state income tax while your neighbor doesn't (Oklahoma has income tax, Texas does not). I can walk around with a pistol on my belt out in front of God and everybody here in Oklahoma, but if I do it in Illinois I'll be thrown in jail and charged with a crime.  Certain places in Montana have no speed limits. Etc.  I learn new stuff all the time and it's all pretty fascinating and some quite eye opening. 

[NARSES2]

As for the rest... I find it interesting, too!  The more ya look into it, the more you realize that we're like the EU, really.... a nation of nations. Makes for all kinds of interesting situations but a lot of dumb ones, too. You can have a state income tax while your neighbor doesn't (Oklahoma has income tax, Texas does not). I can walk around with a pistol on my belt out in front of God and everybody here in Oklahoma, but if I do it in Illinois I'll be thrown in jail and charged with a crime.  Certain places in Montana have no speed limits. Etc.  I learn new stuff all the time and it's all pretty fascinating and some quite eye opening. 

I must admit I do find the USA quite fascinating at times with some States in particular being very keen on asserting their "Independence". It's almost like a Commonwealth of individual nations from a European's point of view. In some respects the individual EU nations are closer than the US States. The older I get the more interested I am it. Having American friends from various States has really opened my eyes to what is a fascinating subject.

Glad your feeling better 

[TheChronicOne]

"Famous last words"  Shortly after saying I was feeling better I started feeling worse and worse and now I'm  totally under the weather. Different reasosns, though, at least!!  I'm sick!!!  Some sort of flu type infection crap. I've held it at bay for a while now but I've done caught the flu or am simply over stressing my immune system with all the nonsense lately and I'm down for the count. I couldn't even finish work today.  About all I can do is sit or lay in bed and I just don't have an energy or motivation to do a damn thing so long as I feel so lousy.

I've alreay determined to drag myself to the doctor office Monday and force them to see me on the spot (somehow...  they seem pretty nice down there so while they may make me wait, I bet they let me in...)  and get myself some intibiotics and test to see if I have the flu.  Or.......   ironically......  covid-19?!    For all the blabbering I've done about it wouldn't that be something!!  BUT ANYWAY!!! No model work for days now and I bet there won't be for probably another week or so. Lucky for me there's noting but rain in the forecast so I can't go mow anyway and the trash place won't be as nasty so I suppose if there is such a thing as a GOOD time to be  sick. tjhis is it....

[TheChronicOne]

Oh hey!!!! Silver lining. Won the last GB with my choccy chip Skyraider.  (I almost called it Skywalker),     Hell, got the last one, too, with the Stretch quadravelle.  LEsson learned? Brown seems to be the key to winning GB?        

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=47453.new#new

As for this current GB... I'm wondering if I'll even meet the deadline or finish it at all, regardless of deadline!    

Back to bed I guess. I be creepin' and post from time to time but mainly just lurking because it's not easy typing with this set up I have. I'm IN BED using wireless keybioard and mouse. Not used to the keyboard at all. Pretty neat, though.... I've even hooked up my computer to a projector and am now broadcasting my laptop to the wall/ceiling so I can internet still.     Computer is way off somewhere else while I have my little wireless keyboard and mouse in bed and the computer screen is my wall. Fancy pants. I was scared to even try to hook it up because I'm such a tech-idiot these days. Same reason I havenb't done things like fire stick yet. I'm so scared I'lll mess up something then not have the new stuff OR the old stuff!!      (And I nearly did when I hooked this crap up, for a minute I couldn't figure out how to get the picture to shoot out of the projector and couldn';t get it back on my computer monitor either!!!  a moment of panic until I found a menu in the projector...... )   


Anyway,,,, this is getting long winded as usual. 

[DogfighterZen]

Heal up, brotha! Be careful about that Corona fuzzy bunny, too. It getting to a worrying point around here although there haven't been any casualties because of it. Not the case in Italy, that's for sure. Still, the idiots that run the PT government say there's no reason to close borders and implement harder measures.