Club Epstein

On Sunday, another Room Essentials® bowl (made in China) was procured for 50 cents (not on sale) at Target® during the afternoon shopping outing. Why are three bowls needed in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki?

On Monday, another atrial fibrillation (AFib) event occurred at 11:45am in the gym, just before taking a lunch break with a Fuji apple and a banana. There was no problem during the weight workout. The cardio workout was mummified. The AFib event continued through the ride back to Waikiki on the bus, in the mausoleum in the “old folks home,” and the afternoon shopping outing to the International Marketplace. Consuming one of the emergency bottles of BodyArmor® Lyte at 4:30pm had no effect. The AFib event terminated immediately upon consuming a delicious banana. Peak heart rate was 109bpm and the duration was 6 hours exactly.

Tuesday was not a particularly good day at the gym in town. The smallest toe on the right foot was sliced open while haphazardly opening the entrance door. Then, one of the only two elliptical machines that can adjust incline position was making a loud thumping noise. Sadly, quite a few pieces of equipment are out of service at any given time. The damage is caused by gym members who abuse the latter.

Attempting to return to Waikiki on Friday afternoon was thwarted by numerous bus route cancellations. The only option was the Route E bus which stops at the makai end of the International Marketplace on Kalakau’a Avenue. The walk back to the “old folks home” was obviously longer. The tourists were out in force everywhere. Kalakau’a Avenue is essentially a long shopping mall with a fake beach attached. So, why are all of the tourists out there meandering? Shopping, of course! What a great Club Epstein vacation!

The sound of the obnoxious automobile alarm annunciator (read: horn) during activation and deactivation continue to break the silence at odd hours, at 2am, 4am, 6am or whenever. There’s no logic to the timing. The horn is clearly identifiable as domestic North American, and obviously an older vehicle. The assholic owner evidently loves that “piece of shit.” No one is going to break into or steal that old jalopy. Hopefully, a Good Samaritan will catch the dickhead in the act and kick him in the “nuts.”

The Target® Circle 360® membership will not be renewed in September. There is only one more product that will be purchased and delivered to the mausoleum … another airbed. The airbed’s box is too cumbersome to transport on public transit. The current Intex® airbed is now a little over five years in use. Ideally, it could remain in service for eight years (with care). Better safe than sorry.

On a side note, recent treks on the Route 6 bus to town from Ala Moana Center has revealed the extent of overdevelopment in Kaka’ako. High-rise condominium complexes have been sprouting up everywhere. These hideous towers are all touting multi-million-dollar units. Now, the iconic Ward Center is being razed for yet another high-rise Club Epstein monstrosity. Oh, the horror!

Miscellany: The use of earplugs has been suspended for the same reason as last time … change in air pressure in the ear canal causes post-nasal drip. The Watch Series 9 logged highly elevated breathing disturbances (i.e., sleep apnea).

Club Epstein Music Break

Enjoy another mix by Hypnotic Progressions on Club Epstein from the Deep House Cat Show archives. Some “Old Skool” mixes coming up on Club Epstein. Listen through the remainder of July.

Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer Candidate

At first, the skin lesion on the back of the right hand looked like a wart. However, a couple of weeks ago (best recollection), a dark discoloration appeared around the lesion. So now, it looks like squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer). The geriatric maladies just keep on coming!

With all of the bullshit transpiring (including the Ramadan War), the mind was ready to snap. So, a tall cup of Guinness® Stout was in order. There are now three can remaining from the case that was procured at Target® many moons ago. Droppin’ back the Stout while sitting in the new dish chair was the highlight of the evening.

Addendum: Two smaller skin lesions were discovered, one on the left (outside) wrist and one on the back of the right hand near the base of the thumb. Very disheartening.

7 K’ib’ 9 Xul

According to Oxfam, the 12 most affluent individuals (families) on the planet control wealth equivalent to the bottom 50% of the global population. And, the “one percent” (i.e., Epstein class) have more wealth than the rest of the entire global population. These are the people who are currently choreographing the events that are transpiring globally and regionally. Obviously, a fact worth pondering upon as the “shock to the system” approaches.

Well, the last salad from the ABC Store was procured on Tuesday afternoon upon arrival in Waikiki from town. The cumulative receipts were redeemed for another free reusable shopping bag. Salads from the ABC Store may still be purchased on a sporadic basis, no more than one per week (if at all). Unfortunately, the $1 increase in price has surpassed the value threshold.

Room Essentials® Dish Chair

Also on Tuesday, a Room Essentials® dish chair (made in China) was purchased from Target® for $30 (not on sale) during the afternoon outing to the International Marketplace. The dish chair was somewhat cumbersome to carry back to the mausoleum in the “old folks home.” The gym workouts definitely contributed to the ability to keep the 20-pound chair elevated during the entire trek back.

The Room Essentials® dish chair was coveted ever since it was espied in the Target® store in Ala Moana Center a year ago. The dish chair is only available during the annual “Back to School” sales. The Target® “app” stated that two were available in Waikiki. However, both were nowhere to be found. The Customer Service desk personnel proved to be helpful, and the dish chair was located in storage.

Originally, the plan was to use the Circle 360® membership to have the dish chair delivered to the mausoleum for free, but it was curiously not eligible for delivery. Well, the dish chair makes a nice mendicant addition to the squalid mausoleum. It is a smaller portable version of the old Papasan chair that adorned the townhouse in Kane’ohe. Will it replace the beloved chair? No.

Purchases at Target® increased this week and the week prior. The reason? Both weeks have had a deal where $100 in purchases yields a $20 reward. So, food and other products, nothing superfluous, are being procured. Reducing expenses is the main priority.

On Wednesday, another atrial fibrillation (AFib) event occurred at 11:45am in the gym, just before taking a lunch break with a Gala apple and a banana. There was no problem during the weight workout. The cardio workout was mummified. The AFib event continued through the ride back to Waikiki on the bus, in the mausoleum in the “old folks home,” and the afternoon shopping outing to the International Marketplace. Heartbeats abruptly returned to normal after the final gulp of the last emergency bottle of BodyArmor® Lyte. Peak heart rate was 131bpm and the duration was 6 hours exactly.

Quality of sleep the night prior was poor. Sleep was also short at 5:20am by the sound of an automobile horn. The owner of the vehicle is the only asshole in the neighborhood who has the horn set up to sound (i.e., annunciator) when the alarm is activated or deactivated. There is a personal willingness to forcibly cram his oversized cranium up his rectum. Well, after all, he is an asshole.

Early Thursday morning, the unidentified asshole deactivated his vehicle alarm at 3:15am and activated it again at 6am. The horn was heard loud and clear both times. The fucktard probably suffers from insomnia and takes his shitty vehicle out for a drive to relax. What the asshole needs to do is take a dump in his commode, then shove his oversized cranium into the bowl, pull the plunger, and give himself a “dirty whirler.”

Quality of sleep was somewhat poor, but there was no AFib event. Later in the afternoon during the outing to Target®, a box of Up&Up® earplugs were procured for $4 (not on sale). Earplugs are essentially useless as chronicled in Notes. That’s why all previous stocks of earplugs were divested. However, there’s no other choice. Closing the windows in the mausoleum is not an option during warm nights. The air conditioner is too noisy to run all night.

Sleep last night was even worse in quality. The resident manager was doing work in the multi-purpose room above mausoleum. He tries to be as quiet as possible. However, even plunking down his water bottle on the table creates a thunderous boom below.

The sound of an automobile horn broke the silence at around 2am and four times at 6:30am. Is the unidentified asshole attempting to make a statement? The heat must be driving the fucktard nuts.

On a side note, “Orange Bad Man” has officially restarted the kinetic Ramadan War (on orders from Benzion Mileikowsky). The Summer heat must be affecting his puny mental faculties as well.

Miscellany: On Wednesday afternoon, batches of celery and pears were available in the multipurpose room in the other building in the “old folks home.” So, a couple of each sufficed for personal consumption. Definitely made up for a bad day.

Addendum: One symptom of meralgia paraesthetica has made a comeback a couple of weeks ago. Itching on the right thigh has been persistent. No pain or numbness, though. Hydrocortisone cream seems to have no effect.

Unexciting Stories - 9

Unexciting stories … sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone. Mundanity is always the primary focus. Let the unexcitement begin …

Last Tuesday, the ABC Store raised the price of all salads by $1 (which also increased the price with the expiry discount). One more salad purchase will complete the requirement for another free reusable shopping bag with receipts redemption. Subsequently. the latter salads will realize reduced procurement or be phased out of the diet. Frozen mixed vegetables will be the likely substitution.

Salads are extremely expensive, even if crafted at home. The cost of raw vegetables is too high in Waikiki, even at Target®. And, salad dressing is very toxic, usually saturated with vegetable oils and fatty cream-like substances. Salads, even with dressing, is low in calories and has contributed to the alarming weight loss.

On Saturday, the laundry chores at the “old folks home” turned into a fiasco. Many of the washers and dryers in the laundry rooms on all of the floors were out of service. The laundry was accomplished using the washer on the 9th floor and the barely functional dryer on the 6th floor. No one seems to care because none of them reported the problems to Wash, the firm that leases the laundry rooms. Well, the dysfunctional equipment was personally reported using the Web site that is plainly listed on the posters in the laundry rooms.

The public transit situation in Honolulu has returned to the same dismal quality of service prior to the fare and pass increase on July 1st. Cancellations and late buses now routinely plague the main routes. Last Friday, cancellations on three routes to Waikiki left only one Route 2 bus servicing town over a one-hour span. The bus was extremely packed with passengers, many of whom were quite vocal about their dissatisfaction. Sadly, the situation will only worsen.

Another Room Essentials® bowl (made in China) was purchased on Sunday at Target® for 50 cents. Oddly, the new bowl doesn’t quite match the bowl that was purchased a while back (not recorded in Notes). The bowl was redesigned? Why?

Gym workouts have changed slightly since the last modification. Cardio workouts are no longer one hour in total. The requirement now is 50 to 55 minutes in total depending on quality of sleep the night prior and on overall mood. Cardio workouts are daily (i.e., no days off), so no problem-o.

The MacBook Neo was unboxed last week to perform several MacOS and “app” updates. A laborious process was also utilized to rename the home directory. The Onyx utility was installed again in order to tediously remove residual files from uninstalled “apps.” Then, the Neo was repackaged again. The Beats® Studio Pro headphones was placed back in its original box after the last power outage.

The Ramadan War is about ready to erupt again since “Orange Bad Man” ignored and then canceled the so-called ceasefire.” The Strait of Hormuz is closed again. The strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) are nearing their operational limits. Will the “shock to the system” come to fruition? Good question.

Anatomy of Atrial Fibrillation

Another atrial fibrillation (AFib) event occurred at 9:35am on Wednesday, just two days after the prior episode, while sitting in the Makai Mall food court in Ala Moana Center. No external triggers were identified. No stress or any physical exertion were noted. So, the episode was spontaneous.

The weight workout at the gym in town was completed, although the wisdom of the latter decision is questionable. The cardio workout, however, was mummified for the day, so departure from downtown was 30 minutes earlier than usual. Fortunately, the bus on the desired route destined for Waikiki arrived on time.

Peak heart rate was 154bpm, and the duration was 4.5 hours. Unlike tachycardia, the heart rate during an AFib event fluctuates. In this case, heart rate rapidly and continuously shifted from a low of 53bpm to the measured peak. The associated sensation is quite unnerving. Anyway, the AFib event ended shortly after returning to the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki.

Sleep Data

Quality of sleep the night prior was very poor. Duration of sleep is inconsequential. What seems to matter is the number of wakings (denoted in red). Deep sleep was negligible. Sleep data from the last AFib event on Monday was nearly identical in wakings even though the duration was longer. Fatigue and grogginess were quite noticeable, too. Thus, quality of sleep is the main determinant.

The cause(s) of poor quality of sleep is (are) a mystery. The multiple wakings follow very elaborate dreams with known and unknown individuals. “Draining the lizard” is also necessary. The theatrical plots of the dreams are also elaborate. Yet, there are nights that the waking are fewer and the need to “drain the lizard” is minimal. Diabetes, you think? Or, is the food consumed earlier in the evening the real culprit?

HRV Data

All Apple® Watch models uses HRV samples to determine AFib History. Once AFib History is enabled, the Watch extracts more HRV samples from the heart rate data than usual. HRV for old codgers is normally centered around 20ms. Huge spikes are correlated with AFib events. Shorter spikes (less than 100ms) are most likely attributed to the notched T-wave arrhythmia.

The cumulative weight loss over the past few months (about 4 pounds) has been troubling. Prior to that, body weight was already low. Body fat percentage is also low. The modified diet has presented an obstacle to regaining the weight. An increase in high fiber carbohydrates has no effect. The main fear is loss of muscle mass (which occurs anyway for senior citizens). However, low body fat could result in muscle mass being converted to supply energy.

The personal health issues, in summation, seems to have origins in poor diet over the long run. Nearly all of the commercially available food, prepared or otherwise, is junk. The ingredients and nutrition label expose just how poisonous that crap really is. Prepared food, in restaurants or fast food joints, cannot even be defined as food. All of these maladies, suffered personally or by everyone else, is caused by shitty food. No amount of working out or dieting is going to change that. The only solution is to prepare food with raw ingredients. Yet, how practical is that?

Postscript: The anecdotal report above is provided for informational purposes only. No prognosis or advice is being disseminated.

وداع

Mourners at Holy Jamkaran Mosque

Millions of mourners gathered on Monday at the Holy Jamkaran Mosque in Qom to offer funeral prayers for the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family. As stated previously in Notes, this is an historic event.

At this moment in time, there is much bewilderment concerning the utter lack of shame and humility expressed by any honorable citizen of empire or the collective “West.” The Ramadan War was orchestrated by “Orange Bad Man” and Benzion Mileikowsky, both war criminals, as an act of unprecedented aggression against a foreign nation-state that posed no threat to them. Many innocent civilians were obliterated, including the 170 students in Minab, for no justifiable reason. Not even a simple apology was offered by the two turds. Instead, “Orange” broadcasted several disgusting and condescending statements that denigrated the people and leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the millions of mourners participating in the funeral ceremonies.

Of course, what can be expected of the “Great Satan” or “El Diablo”? Empire and the collective “West” are doing the same to the Russian Federation using Ukraine as a proxy. Remember the college dormitory in Lugansk that was struck by drones and murdered innocent students? Who exactly provided the ISR for those strikes? Many of the on-line “armchair generals” have expressed total contempt for Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin for not completely destroying Ukraine to end the war. There are no “armchair generals” in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki, so no vitriol is forthcoming. The assumption is that Vladimir Putin and the General Staff know what they’re doing.

In summary, Notes can only offer condolences to the victims of empire and the collective “West,” for what that’s worth.

Miscellany: On Monday, another atrial fibrillation (AFib) event transpired commencing at 2:30pm while exiting the ABC Store in Waikiki. No trigger could be established. No heart anomalies were observed during the gym workout earlier. Peak heart rate was 148bpm and the duration was 5.25 hours. One of the emergency bottles of BodyArmour® Lyte was consumed at 4pm with no effect. The last major AFib event was exactly three weeks ago on June 15th.

Slave Day(s) 2026

Slave Day, yet another no-holiday holiday, is always uneventful at best. There’s no reason to celebrate the holiday since all of the rank-and-file peons in empire are helpless, hapless slaves to their Fascist overlords, obviously even more so today than ever. This year, Slave Day is a two-day holiday (Friday and Saturday). Wheee!

On Monday, the Watch Series 9 recorded a heart rate of 150bpm at 2:30pm. Two data points were logged within five minutes, so the latter tachycardia event was not a random error. What’s puzzling is that the five-minute episode passed unnoticed.

There have also been a few curious HRV spikes with no noticeable heartbeat abnormalities (i.e., notched t-waves). Heart rate was also normal. Notched t-wave heartbeats still occur at random times.

The electric power went down at 9:30pm on Tuesday evening for no apparent reason. The outage affected a small area in Waikiki where the “old folks home” is located. During the last power outage, which affected most of Waikiki, the latter small area was the last to have power restored. Power was restored two hours later. There was a lot of “gnashing of teeth” in the mausoleum in the interim. The concern was that the food in the refrigerator would go bad. The Beats® Studio Pro headphones were unboxed just for the occasion. Listening to music in the dark was slightly comforting. Anyway, the overall angst resulted in poor quality of sleep.

The price increase in the fares and passes for public transportation (read: the bus) went into effect on Wednesday. Of interest, there were less cancellations on any of the routes. Motorcoaches were running on time or slightly late. How long will that last?

Bush’s® baked beans, generic organic chili beans, Bumble Bee® canned wild pink salmon, and generic instant brown rice have been added to the dinner fare (to supplement salads procured from the ABC Store). The refrigerator (freezer) in the mausoleum is still filled with Healthy Choice® Adobo Chicken Protein Bowls and Birds Eye® frozen vegetables. The current plan is to limit or phase out the frozen meals.

A bottle of Lucky Foods Seoul Vegan Original Kim Chee was purchased at Target® on Thursday during the afternoon shopping outing to the International Marketplace. Delicious and chili pepper hot, too! Yeah, another delicacy added to the modified diet.

Waikiki was extremely crowded on Saturday. The annual fireworks show was scheduled for dusk. No plans were made to attend the event. Celebrating the ever-decreasing freedom in empire is just not on the agenda.

Cellular data usage has dropped significantly. The only spike in data usage occurs while downloading hurdy-gurdy video files. Just kidding! MacOS and iOS updates are the worst offenders. Otherwise, even the approved Web sites are not always viewed regularly. And, absolutely no superfluous streaming media is allowed. Judging Freedom is the only approved podcast (when Colonel Macgregor and Max Blumenthal are scheduled) and, even then, not all episodes are viewed.

The increased time spent in the mausoleum is taking a toll on the psyche. The evenings have been fairly warm, but there is nothing to do in Waikiki except to walk around or loiter in the myriad shopping malls. Sadly, there are few places to sit and relax because the tourists have occupied all of the available seating. What is sad is that all of them are playing with their “smartphones,” all the while unbeknownst to them that they are “bored shitless.”

On a side note, the five-day funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, commenced on Friday at the Grand Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran. The sheer number of attendees was impressive. PressTV reported on some of the high profile visitors. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, and his delegation were present. Quite an historic event, to say the least.

Addendum: No evidence of the upcoming “shock to the system” seems to exist. Were the warnings just fearmongering by the doomsayers?

Fuck It Friday - 36

Fuck It Friday (FIF)! Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone ... FIF! The personal collection of useful and useless possessions is the primary focus of this edition. Yes, this is Fuck It Friday!

At this point in time, the inventory of technology (mostly Apple®) products will not be upgraded this year or next. The iPhone 16 Pro, the MacBook Neo and the Watch Series 9 will continue service much longer than expected. The MacBook Neo, by the way, is now worth $100 more after Apple® announced price increases on Thursday for select products. The iPhone, Watch, and AirPods product lines will most likely see significant price increases at the end of the year. Fuck it!

The AirPods Pro 2 and the Beats® Studio Pro will not be divested. The Studio Pro is being replaced this year with an entirely new model (codename: Beats® One), the design of which is seemingly inspired by the bulbous AirPods Max. The Studio Pro is now essentially worthless. Fuck it!

The LaCie® SSD is still sitting in the technology accessories box. The vast hurdy-gurdy video library (HGVL) still resides in it. There have been recent additions to the library, although it was slightly pruned a while back. The HGVL obviously serves no purpose now. There has been some consideration to simply reformat the SSD for mass deletion of files. So, what’s stopping the latter from occurring? Well, the HGVL, of course, is priceless. Yet, no prospective buyer has emerged. Fuck it!

The Norelco® 7100 electric shaver is still fully functional, although the rubberized lamination is peeling. The shaver is approaching four years of use (out of its projected five-year service life). The Panasonic® nose hair trimmer, the Dirt Devil® Grab & Go vacuum cleaner, and the Cuisinart® microwave oven will not be replaced for many years. Fuck it!

A Rubbermaid® food storage container was procured at Target® for less than $5 (on sale). The container is large enough to accommodate the contents of a big-ass can of Bush’s® baked beans. It has already been used for a can of pink salmon in a trial run of a possible conversion to canned goods. A box of generic instant brown rice was also procured. A test run was made to optimize the preparation of the rice using the microwave oven. Obviously, the whole purpose of the exercise is to determine a survival protocol for the upcoming “shock to the system.” Fuck it!

Seriously, though, attempting to survive in the worst case scenario of the upcoming “shock to the system” is futile. A hoard of food and supplies must be defended with heavy armaments and infinite ammunition. When food becomes scarce, the predators will easily identify the hoarders (who will obviously not appear to be starving) and will be prepared to kill. Thus, the road to survival is to become a predator at least until cannibalism rears its ugly head. Then, “all hell will break loose.” Fuck it!

Addendum: The discussion about Apple® (and other) product price increases is moot. In the worst case scenario of the “shock to the system,” the latter products will simply not be available anywhere.

Miscellany: M&S Percy Pig® gummy candy is now the only approved sweet snack for consumption.

Prelude to the Shock

Global strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) are due to reach operational limits between the first week of July and mid-August. The SPRs cannot deplete to “tank bottom” without severe infrastructural damage. Once the SPR spigots are closed, there will be no artificial vehicle to suppress prices.

No clarity has been provided concerning the scenario in the aftermath. The expectation is that the oil price will inflate fairly quickly as supply becomes constrained. At some point, demand destruction will take effect and stabilize price. However, at that point, the inflation will cascade through the entire system. All prices of all products will increase with a multiplier. Unfortunately, products will no longer be replenished. The entire supply chain and associated logistics will collapse.

In empire, one of the first “shocks” will come as a result of the Middle-Distillate Inflection Point, as described in the article by Larry Johnson that was linked in the previous Notes post. With limited supplies of heavy crude oil, the decision to choose between diesel or aviation fuel becomes a serious conundrum. And, as the Strait of Hormuz remains highly regulated, the situation becomes a matter of life and death for the rank-and-file peons of empire and the collective “West.”

Hoarding food and supplies may seem a noble inspiration. However, how practical is that? Even if transit through the Strait of Hormuz were restored to that prior to the start of the Ramadan War, the return to “normal” would require at least six months to a year given ideal conditions. Obviously, ideal conditions do not exist (i.e., major damage to production facilities in all Gulf states), so the time frame would be much longer. Can the average rank-and-file peon establish a hoard of food and supplies to last over a year?

In the meantime, there is no evidence that the rank-and-file peons are aware of or even care about the upcoming “shock to the system.” Of course, most people are only concerned about rising petrol prices. This level of insouciance and ignorance is astonishing. Just as astonishing is the sheer number of fools still donning face masks full time here in Hawai’i. Yet, when the “shit hits the fan,” these fools will become extremely desperate and dangerous.

The sad part is that there’s no escape. There’s nowhere to go, at least in the collective “West.” Well, there’s the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China …