What did you do today?

[Tom Picciani]

Wouldn't it be easier to snap your phone onto a selfie stick and point it at the sky?
Wowza, that's impressive Tom.
How long does it take to unpack and set up once you get to the location? 10 inch?

It takes about 30-40 minutes to set up. That’s why I want 2 clear nights minimum before going camping. I also have a Kelty Parthenon 8 tent 10x12 that I set up a full bedroom. I’m on pills and insulin so I need a table to do that. Next to the scope, I set up 2 blue roll up camping tables on top of one another. I cover it with a shroud to hide the light from the laptop getting onto the field. My 4 Runner is packed full when I go.

 

[highup]

Your professional setup takes as long to set up as that old Flintstone tracker that I made for the comets.
I always thought it would be fun to have a good telescope but living here on the coast would be a waste of time because of the clouds. I'd have to do like you do and travel to a better location which is going to be at least 2 hours away. Hope you get some clear skies.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Lancaster County used to be really dark. Could see the Milky Way from 8 miles outside the city. Now with strip malls and gas stations everywhere, light pollution is too much. Even after having moved to a development surrounded by farms for miles, I struggle to see the Big Dipper. I can see all the stars in Orion, but it’s a Winter object and colder weather brings clearer skies.

 

[highup]

The trees have grown up around me right next to my place so my skyview isn't as good as it used to be. When the air is clear the Big Dipper easy, you can see the milky way not bright but it's obvious, sew on clear nights without the Moon you can actually see things but the ocean is only 5 miles to the West. If there's fog it can stay right along the coast then at the last minute slowly float over the small hill and screw up any sky viewing. I wish I had kept up keeping the small holly bush, which is actually a tree trimmed to give me a little view southward. Straight South there's also a willow type tree and boy you don't realize how fast they grow until they're too large to do anything with. I'm kicking myself for letting those things grow. I can still look up.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Sounds like you’re in better position than a lot of people on west coast. Astronomers here always talk about Arizona. A couple people I know moved out there. On Facebook look for a guy named Adam Block. Takes pictures through 32 inch scope at university of Arizona. Incredible stuff!

 

[highup]

Along the Oregon coast the communities are small and usually 23 to 27 miles between them. I live less than two miles out of town and our population is 16,000.

 

[highup]

I never knew the World Trade Center buildings were on an island. Never saw this story either. Wow, you don't even need to ask for help.... it just comes.

 

[zannej]

Nice setup, Tom.
The grandfather can actually do stuff himself but he wants to get everyone around to be his servants and he gives orders instead of asking. He also wakes my friend, the baby, and everyone else up all hours of the night. Like, he will holler for my friend at 2am and it will be to tell him he was wanting something done later in the day. He also expects my friend to fix his car without any payment (not an issue of the labor, but he wants my friend to buy parts without being reimbursed) and doesn't thank him when he does stuff.
He has a higher income than my friend and fewer expenses.
He treats my friend's fiance like garbage and was wanting her to run errands and lift heavy stuff for him shortly after she gave birth. He cusses at her and insults her all the time. He doesn't seem to care that the is a new baby and the parents are exhausted. He schedules appointments with the doctor almost every day and will demand lifts from my friend and yell at him for not changing his work schedule on short notice. The old man can and does drive. He can go to the store and shop. He can go to drive through, but he wants to send other people to do stuff he can easily do himself.
There are some things he. Needs help with and I help him out. But it gets aggravating when he gives orders. He pretty much demanded that I dump his nasty urine bottles out for him at 4am. I declined at first but he threatened to wake my friend. He actually has a home caregiver who helps him when he's at his house but she isn't coming over here.
Sorry for the long rant. I'm sleep deprived. I'm also worried about my friend bc he's stressed to the point of ulcers again.

 

[highup]

I would distance myself from people like that, even if they were relatives in any way shape or form. I like an even keel.
Hope you get your electric on soon.

 

[Floorist]

Zanne, looks like another storm coming that way.

 

[zannej]

I hope the storm steers clear. This morning we all had to go to the store to use public bathrooms bc the old man clogged the toilet again. He used almost all of my brother's wet wipes and flushed them, and goes through almost an entire mega roll of tp per day. He can get to the toilet and use it on his own but he still pees in bottles. He will also pee on himself when not wearing his diapers. Soaked the driver's seat in his SUV, soaked his wheelchair, etc.
I feel bad for him that he lacks bladder control, but he is so inconsiderate of other people. My friend missed work today bc he had to deal with the old man's literal crap. Friend had to get new pants (dryer needs a new heating element so can't do laundry fast enough) from the splatter. I bought a toilet auger and my friend was able to clear it. He took a shower and is resting right now.
Upside is his fiance baked croissants.
Waiting for it to cool down a bit before I go see my pets.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Z a lot of the times you can clear a clog by pouring a 5 gallon bucket of water in it real fast, just don't run it over. Have done that many times.

 

[zannej]

Didn't have a 5 gallon bucket here and it's a small old toilet. Friend found it out in a junk heap. The clog was solid. Toilet overflowed and the water got under the vinyl plank.
Any suggestions on how to dry it up? Git a dehumidifier. Thinking we might need to pull the toilet and flooring up to clean under there and then seal it up better. When I walked on it I could hear water sloshing and see it coming up from between the boards.
Friend wants to get a new toilet. Thinking a Toto Entrada.

 

[highup]

Zan, the water under the planks could take weeks and weeks to dry up, and it wasn't clean water. I'd pull it up.

 

[zannej]

Highup, that's the plan. Will pull it up, clean it etc. Is it safe to put lime powder on the floor underneath?

 

[Tom Picciani]

Got suv packed. 4 hours to Potter County, up near NY border. Hoping for 2-3 nights is imaging

 

[highup]

Lucky dog. There isn't a place within 200 miles of me without thick smoke.

 

[zannej]

I hope the fires don't last too long & that the smoke will clear. I was in Singapore back in the 90s when Malaysia had horrible forest fires that blanketed Singapore. Couldn't stand to be outside. Our gym classes that normally had outdoor activities had to make do indoors bc it got so bad.
I'm winding down to try to sleep right now.

 

[Floorist]

Went to the cardiac doctor, said he would see me in a year.

 

[havasu]

Was he referring to your funeral?