Surprise & Shinola

All of the updates for Apple® products were made available on Monday morning. Needless to say, the whole day was spent downloading and installing iOS, MacOS, WatchOS, and new AirPods firmware. The iOS 27 update was mostly accomplished through iPhone cellular data. The MacOS 27 update for the MacBook Neo was initiated using the free wireless network in the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center. After an hour, only one-sixth of the huge file was downloaded. The WatchOS 27 update was partly downloaded there, and the remainder was downloaded during the workout at the gym.

The thought of having to transport the MacBook Neo to Ala Moana Center and carry it around all day for six consecutive days was regarded as foolish. So, a trip was made to the Apple® Store in Ala Moana Center on Monday afternoon. The MacOS update was downloaded within an hour, and the installation was performed upon arrival at the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Serious consideration is being given to divest the Neo when the trade-in option becomes available early next year.

The iOS update appeared to be successful. However, later in the evening, a few “bugs” made themselves manifest. The dark mode for “app” icons is no longer functional. And, worse, Tap To Wake became sporadic. About half of the time, the iPhone 16 Pro would not respond. Pressing every button randomly for two or more minutes would finally revive the device. Even putting the device on charge did nothing. The only two possible workarounds were … one, disable the lock screen … or, two, enable Always On Display mode. In other words, the display cannot be allowed to sleep as the iPhone could easily be “bricked.” For security reasons, the latter option was chosen. Overall, a very pathetic situation.

To add insult to injury, the toggle to disable all Apple® Intelligence features was removed. The AI bullshit is now completely “baked in” for all devices. The only feature that can be disabled is Siri AI (for now) by not joining the wait list. Well, that’s the culmination of the Apple® “Surprise and Shine!” event. Very disappointing surprises. No shine.

Addendum: The new three-band equalizer for AirPods was auditioned. The goal was to simulate the “sizzle” of the Beats® Studio Pro headphones. The result? “Close, but no cigar.” Actually, the equalizer is just a more granular version of the Headphone Accommodations pre-set equalizations.

Postscript: The term, “ always on display,” is misleading. The display shuts off under certain conditions. However, some of the sensors remain active continuously. The tradeoff is battery drain of about 2% for every eight hours of inactivity.

Fuck It Friday - 37

Ansarallah

Fuck It Friday! Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone ... September 11th edition. Yes, this is Fuck It Friday!

Well, September 11th is here. All of the alternative Web sites are publishing elaborate content about the deadly hoax that comprised the fateful day. The legacy journal discussed the issue ad nauseam, so there’s no need to rehash any personal opinion. Fuck it!

What is of relevant interest, though, is the strong offensive that was launched a couple of days ago by the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF, primarily Ansarallah) against the Saudi-backed proxy government forces (read: mercenaries). Ansarallah has now gained control over the city of Mokha and the Port of Al-Ardhi, effectively nullifying the Saudi naval blockade. The YAF has also seized Zuqar Island (and Mayyun Island amongst others), which means that Ansarallah now has total control over the Strait of Bab al-Mandab. The Saudi East-West oil pipeline has been shut down after the facility was targeted by multiple drone strikes. Currently, the source of those strikes is alleged to be the Iraqi Resistance. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabian oil exports are now close to zero. Fuck it!

The effects of the Ramadan War continue to ripple through the Levant. The foolish and illegal war launched by “Orange Bad Man” and Benzion Mileikowsky has redrawn the map of the Levant, and has now effected the closures of the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. Prior to the war, both were fully open to maritime traffic. What exactly were the two war criminals thinking? They really “fucked up.” Fuck it!

The Apple® “Surprise and Shine!” event has come and gone. There was little personal interest in the event or the new products. The price hikes alone made the event unpalatable. Of course, the iOS and MacOS updates are slated to arrive next Monday. Fuck it!

The heatwave continues in the islands with the trade winds returning on Friday. Humidity has been extremely high since the passing of the two hurricanes. The air conditioner in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki must be run continuously during occupancy. Fuck it!

All of the laundry rooms in both buildings of the “old folks home” now feature new washers and dryers. The appliances no longer accept coins. Several cashless payment methods will be available. Thus, the personal stash of quarters was deposited in the local bank account on Thursday. Fuck it!

The Cologuard® test results were negative. So, more good health news for now. Hopefully, the reduction in foods containing vegetable oil will yield many more positive health outcomes. Of course, no one believes the claim that vegetable oil is deadly. Discussing the latter with the usual rank-and-file peons will only result in “raised eyebrows.” Fuck it!

On the topic of vegetable oil, Karl Denninger claims that he no longer suffers from sunburn (when outside for an extended period of time) after completely removing vegetable oil from his diet. Although anecdotal, his claim is entirely credible. Fuck it!

Addendum: The best analysis of the extremely successful Ansarallah offensive appeared on the PressTV site. Note that the URL domain is different because the site certificate was revoked by certain “Western” regimes.

Slave Labor Day 2026

Waiting for Hurricane Lowell

The appointment at the dermatology clinic was scheduled for Wednesday last week (on the advice of the attending physician at the Ohua Clinic). Minor rain showers wreaked havoc with public transportation. Nonetheless, the trek was made to town with ample time to drop off the gym bag at the gym and alight the Route 4 bus to the Queen’s Hospital physicians’ office buildings complex at the top of the hill.

After completing the usual paperwork, about 30 minutes elapsed after the scheduled appointment time. The consultation with the dermatologist spanned about four minutes. He examined the (former) skin lesion and declared that it was benign. No full body inspection was offered. Medical “quackery,” you think? The appointment will have an out-of-pocket cost of $40 at the least. The brevity of the appointment did not warrant a dedicated Notes post.

The MacBook Neo was unboxed about a week ago to perform the latest MacOS updates. However, the Neo failed to list any updates and indicated that MacOS was up-to-date. Something was not right. So, on Friday of last week, the Neo was prepared for transport in the Under Armor® backpack (originally procured for the iPad Pro M4). The over at the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center was dedicated to exploiting the free wireless network to download the update. And, had the update fail again, a short walk to the Apple® Store to consult the Genius Bar was the planned contingency.

Fortunately, the update and installation was completed, albeit slowly, with no problems. Of course, the situation is quite fluid, given that future MacOS updates may require frequent transporting of the MacBook Neo to Ala Moana Center. There’s no indication about why the tethering to the iPhone 16 Pro no longer functions. Perhaps the divestiture of the iPad was a mistake. Is the time ripe to divest the Neo?

Gym workouts remain consistent. The focus on the cardio portion of the workout has been successful. Time on the elliptical machine has been currently set to a total of a 50 minute ceiling for both parts. An average of 120 strides per minute has been attained. The former lamentation about the inability to “break a sweat” is now moot.

Brief (i.e., 1.5 seconds or less) atrial fibrillation (AFib) and single instance notched T-wave events have been occurring more frequently and randomly. There have been no major AFib events since July 20th. Once again, the only change has been the steep reduction of foods containing vegetable oil.

There has been nothing to do and nowhere to go in the evenings. The idea of dining out was entertained, but reality quickly prevailed. There’s no way of knowing the actual ingredients of any menu selections. Most likely, there’s a lot of sodium, sugar, and vegetable oils. Sadly, the personal restrictions on those particular ingredients rules out dining at all establishments.

Bars, nightclubs, and theaters are of no interest. The associated costs are beyond the personal budget. That only leaves shopping. Well, there’s no more interest in wasting money on useless junk. There’s plenty of useless crap lying around in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Frankly, sitting in the Room Essentials® dish chair all night is akin to a slow death. Well, that’s modern life, eh?

The mausoleum is currently infested with small cockroaches. The roaches migrate from other units on the same floor. That’s why the varmints know the exact layout of the kitchen. The lights in the mausoleum are off all evening. Every hour or so, the light in the range hood is activated to surprise the roaches. The varmints are awkwardly shuffled into the garbage disposal in the sink. Roaches versus garbage disposal … guess who wins? Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

The neighbor directly across the hallway from the mausoleum is still MIA. No one knows his whereabouts. One of the maintenance guys had entered the unit a few weeks ago to troubleshoot the fire alarm. Foul play is now suspected, even if self-inflicted.

The neighbor was a quiet man, a loner. He did not socialize with other tenants, and he was never accompanied by family or friends. Hmm, sounds familiar, eh? Perhaps he was disillusioned by having residence in the middle of a huge shopping mall. He may have chosen a hasty exodus (sans all personal possessions) to a new life in a new land.

Another no-holiday holiday, Slave Labor Day, has come and gone. The Summer season is officially over. Hurricane Lowell is moving Northward and will pass the West end of the Hawai’ian island chain without making landfall. Moderate rain is expected. Otherwise, same itinerary. Same ol’ shit. Could be worse, though.

Addendum: A pint of Häagen-Dazs® strawberry ice cream was purchased on Saturday, the first one in a very long time. Häagen-Dazs® is true ice cream, not a “frozen dessert.” It is also the only ice cream that does not list any vegetable oils in its ingredients. Saturated fat and sugar are not a problem in moderation.

Unexciting Stories - 10

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

Tropical Storm Moke completely bypassed the islands. No rainfall, and no gusty winds. The heatwave, however, continues unabated. The air conditioner in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki runs continuously upon arrival from town in the afternoon until the next morning,

A new Cologuard® colon cancer screening kit was received on Monday. The samples were taken early Tuesday morning, boxed up, and dispatched to the UPS Store® in town. Will it be rejected again?

The skin cancer candidate has gone through a strange metamorphosis. Over the course of three days (commencing on Tuesday), the scaly aberration fell off in two pieces. Only the old man spot remains. The aberration did not look like a scab. Nor was there any observed injury to cause a scab to form. So, a message was dispatched to the attending physician at the Ohua Climic on Thursday to ask whether the dermatology appointment should be cancelled.

Quality of sleep degraded significantly commencing on Monday. The cause is unknown. However, spending so much time in the mausoleum has probably taken a toll on the psyche. The boredom would drive anyone “nuts.” There’s no real furniture. The decor is similar to a prison cell. Well, it’s a mausoleum.

The original factory box for the Cuisinart® microwave oven is still sitting on the floor next to the Room Essentials® dish chair in the mausoleum, almost a year since the latter was purchased. It serves as an end table of sorts. How much more pathetic can the mausoleum decor get?

All Proton services (VPN, mail, etc.) were down globally on Wednesday morning for several hours. That was a first for Proton. The cause was identified as a cooling failure at its Frankfurt data center. To its credit, Proton had all services operational by the evening.

Filter cleaning for the air conditioner in the mausoleum occurred on Thursday afternoon after the alert indicator lit up on the front panel the night before. The cooling radiator was also cleaned and vacuumed. The flow control grilles for the outflow duct were also removed. Lots of black crap was observed inside the appliance.

Previously, the assumption was that the latter comprised the accumulation of dirt and dust. Only a modest attempt was made to clean it. However, for some reason, this time the assumption was that the latter was actually black mold. So, a spray bottle of Up&Up® Cleaner + Bleach was procured for $3.50 (not on sale) at Target® during the afternoon outing. Sure enough, upon liberally spraying the entire outflow duct, the black crap disappeared. So, dangerous black mold was allowed to fester all this time. Sheesh!

Addendum: The latest time estimate for the inevitable “shock to the system” was upward revised to 30 days from now by reliable sources.

Admissions Day 2026

Another no-holiday holiday has come to pass with the usual minor inconveniences. This is Fuck It Friday (FIF) - Special Statehood Edition. Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone. Fuck it!

The aftermath of Tropical Storm Lala lingers on. Many traffic lights in Waikiki were not functioning for three days. Debris and trash are still scattered everywhere. Public transit is a complete mess with an outrageous number of cancellations on vital routes. Oddly, bus routes that are popular with the tourists are always unaffected. Fuck it!

The elevator in the “old folks home” was out of service since the power outage on Sunday through Tuesday. Apparently, a mysterious part was broken and required replacement. Coming and going required climbing and descending eight flights of stairs. How were the other residents with walkers and motorized chairs being accommodated? The elevators in the other building were fine, by the way. Fuck it!

The annual recertification procedures for the “old folks home” will commence next month. Lots of paperwork. Lots of document submissions. At least two appointments are necessary to complete myriad forms. This is the state-of-art in bureaucracy. Fuck it!

A call was made on Monday to the dermatology clinic on the referral document. The earliest day available was September 2nd. The clinic is located in the furthest office building up a steep hill in the Queen’s Hospital complex. In the meantime, the skin cancer candidate is looking real bad. Fuck it!

The Cologuard® samples that were shipped for processing have been disqualified. A new Cologuard® kit is being dispatched. Fuck it!

The strange nightly dreams continue unabated. One recent dream included Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in the all-star cast. Is that strange, or what? Fuck it!

The Beats® Studio Pro headphones and the MacBook Neo remain untouched in their original factory boxes. They are now officially classified as useless possessions. Fuck it!

Lifeway® kefir has been added to the approved food product list to substitute for Greek yogurt (when unavailable). Generic beef jerky (no preservatives) has also been added.

Tropical Storm Moke will pass further South of the islands than Hurricane Lala on Sunday. Some moderate rain and gusty winds are forecasted. Fuck it!

Miscellany: The last atrial fibrillation (AFib) event occurred on July 20th. There have been no AFib events since then. The notched t-wave arrhythmia occurs occasionally with a single instance rather than the previous extended sequence of alternating with normal heartbeats. The actual trigger for both afflictions is still undetermined. The only variable that has changed is the reduction of vegetable oil consumption.

Addendum: The possibility of suffering from atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) is questionable. Shortness of breath, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other cardiac symptoms are not showing. Elevated LDL cholesterol may be a symptom of inflammation rather than the cause. The previous bout with hypertension indicated the presence of inflammation. The first dietary modification cured hypertension. Now, will the reduction of vegetable oil consumption reduce “high” cholesterol?

Hurricane Lala

Hurricane Lala

Tropical Storm Lala was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it gained strength on approach to the Big Island. The cone predicted that the eye would pass just slightly South of the Big Island, and it did so by early Saturday afternoon (much earlier than expected. The outside circumference of the hurricane (where the strong winds and rain occur) has enveloped the entirety of the Big Island. Resultant flooding and heavy damage is expected.

Unlike the most recent hurricanes and tropical storms that passed North of the remaining islands, Hurricane Lala is expected to pass to the South and move Westward. Heavy rain and gusty winds are anticipated for the South shores. Honolulu (and Waikiki) on the island of O’ahu will be directly impacted.

On Saturday, gusty winds and minor precipitation was on-going all day and into the evening. Shopping for the necessary food products was accomplished early on Saturday afternoon during a quick outing to the International Marketplace. In case of extremely heavy rain, no outing will be required on Sunday afternoon.

There apparently was a power outage in Waikiki sometime before the return to Waikiki from town at 2:30pm. The duration of the outage was long enough to disable the booster water pump in the “old folks home.” Water pressure was reduced to a trickle. Dinner and the evening chores were expedited in anticipation of another power outage. Better safe than sorry.

Tourists were out in force, enjoying the hurricane weather. At Target®, they were stocking up on all kinds of snacks and beverages, no doubt to truly appreciate the impact of the hurricane when its effects arrive in Waikiki. Then, they will be able to boast to family and friends about surviving through a real hurricane. Wheee!

Ala Wai - Hurricane Lala - Saturday 7pm

The ambient temperature was 83^o F at 7pm. Extremely hot and humid. The gusty winds felt even hotter. Precipitation was mild. The wind and rain intensified with each passing hour, although heavy rain was not expected until after midnight. However, Hurricane Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Another power outage occurred at 10:30pm. The strange part was that the outage only affected the two buildings of the “old folks home” in the entirety of Waikiki. Even more strange … the outage only affected one-half of each building. A call was made to the toll-free emergency maintenance hotline for the “old folks home.” No connection was possible. So, a call was made to Hawai’ian Electric and a report was filed.

Heavy rain commenced at about 3am. The windows in the mausoleum had to remain closed as the gusty winds randomly directed the rain toward the windows. Without air conditioning, the tomb became intolerably hot and stuffy. Sleep was impossible. At 5am, another call was made to the emergency maintenance hotline for the “old folks home.” A useless report about the power outage was filed upon connection.

Public transit service was suspended at 8pm on Saturday and continued through Sunday morning. Many Waikiki employees whose shift ended later were most likely left stranded. Bus service was scheduled to commence after 8am on Sunday.

The power outage forced the purging of refrigerated food products at 7:30am on Sunday, although that was five hours later than food safety regulations. Frozen food products are slated for purging between 10:30am and 12:40am.

The tropical storm officially ended at 7:45am. The rain and gusty winds ceased and left a mostly cloudy sky. A brief trek downstairs was rewarded with an encounter with one of the other residents in the “old folks home.” She mentioned that the earlier power outage ended at 1:30pm on Saturday for a duration of four hours. She had also called Hawai’ian Electric several times. Oddly, she mentioned that the refrigerator in her place is running, even though no other outlet is active.

Both buildings of the “old folks home” went completely dark at 8:30am. So, the outlet outside the mausoleum, which was being used to charge the iPhone 16 Pro, was no longer active. The whole situation was becoming extremely frustrating. So, a call was made to the gym in town at 9:30am. Surprisingly, the gym was open. A quick check of the public transit Web site indicated all bus routes were operational. Rather than discard the frozen food, the trek to the gym in town was the better alternative. The iPhone could be charged, and a nice hot shower would be welcome.

The gym was fairly crowded, much more crowded than the usual Sunday. Even with only 2 hours and 36 minutes of sleep (as logged by the Watch Series 9), a decent workout was accomplished. The iPhone was charged during the cardio cooldown on the recumbent bicycle. Sadly, the residual heavy rain appeared to have commenced again around noon.

The bus ride back to Waikiki was relaxing. Very few passengers were on board. However, upon arrival in Waikiki, the traffic congestion was bad. Why were all of these fools heading to Waikiki after the tropical storm caused so many problems?

The only pleasant surprise was the discovery that electric power was restored at the “old folks home.” No telling what time that occurred, but the latter was well over twelve hours. The elevator was not operational, so a long walk up the fire exit staircase was required. There was much relief. Sitting on the Room Essentials® dish chair with the air conditioner running was the highlight of the day. So, the Hurricane Lala adventure finally came to an end. Sheesh!

Personal Sitrep 2026

The dermatology referral information was transmitted by message through the Waikiki Health patient portal on Wednesday. A call was made to the referenced dermatology clinic that afternoon. The person responding stated that the clinic no longer accepted Humana® Medicare Advantage insurance. The call was immediately mummified.

Another message was dispatched to the attending physician at the Ohua Clinic to request another dermatology referral on Wednesday as well. There was no response on Thursday, so the decision was made to visit the clinic personally later in the afternoon. Apparently, the attending physician was not in for the day. However, the young hottie staff member at the front desk was extremely helpful. She was able to print out the new referral. A sigh of relief was forthcoming.

The largest skin lesion appears to expanding within the round discoloration. The anomaly is definitely not a wart. Thus, it is most likely skin cancer. Its appearance exactly matches that of squamous cell carcinoma, a rapid spreading tumor. That explains the urgent need to expedite the dermatology appointment. Unfortunately, the appointment cannot be made until early next week.

The summary of personal health issues as of this Notes post is as follows:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
• High cholesterol
• Pre-diabetes
• Knee effusion
• Skin cancer.

The general consensus is that the health issues (aside from skin cancer) would be far worse without the gym workouts and dietary constraints. There’s even the question of whether a “keel over” event would have already occurred if not for the latter and former.

There are unlikely to be any deletions from the approved food products list to accommodate pre-diabetes. Total daily “added sugar” intake of the latter will be monitored instead. Carbohydrate intake cannot be reduced any further without realizing significant and dangerous weight loss.

The TheraTears® dry eye therapy has been very therapeutic for the eyes. The daily irritation has been reduced significantly. The use of the eye drops may continue indefinitely regardless of cost.

The daily morning stopover at Ala Moana Center has increased to an hour or more. Loitering in the Makai Market food court is not exactly exciting, but the alternative (i.e., sitting in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki) is worse. The afternoon outings to the International Marketplace remain brief, usually just quick shopping at Target®. There is some desire to spend more time loitering there, but the venue has really become boring. Of course, what could be more boring than the mausoleum?

The approved Web site list has dwindled down to the following:

• Institute for Political Economy (Paul Craig Roberts)
• The Market Ticker (Karl Denninger)
• Judging Freedom (Judge Napolitano)
• Moon of Alabama
• Reminiscence of the Future (Andrei Martyanov)
• Sonar21 (Larry Johnson)
• Simplicius’s Garden of Knowledge
• The Unz Review
• Sputnik International
• RT
• PressTV

and four technology “blogs.” Hyperlinks are interspersed in Notes.

Of interest, the Notes post titled, “Personal Sitrep 2024,” briefly described a health issue that occurred during the weight workout on four separate days. That issue was described as feeling “tremendous pressure on the torso (akin to an anvil laying on the chest area).” Mild heart attack, you think? Has that been the precursor to AFib?

Miscellany: There are no notable changes to the workout regime at the gym.

Addendum: The results of the fasting blood test taken last week revealed no Vitamin D deficiency. The test was administered in the morning, before the usual Vitamin D supplement was consumed. A1C was 5.7% and confirmed the pre-diabetes diagnosis. Otherwise, nothing noteworthy.

Ho-Hum 2026

A week has passed since the last appointment at the Ohua Clinic in Waikiki. The Cologuard® colon cancer screening kit arrived on Monday. The samples were collected on Tuesday morning and shipped out. The attending physician was sent a message through the patient portal on Monday to inquire about the dermatology referral. There was no reply, so a phone call to the clinic was necessary. Apparently, the referral was not processed. So, there will be a longer wait as the skin cancer spreads. Ho-hum.

Meanwhile, back at the “old folks home,” the troublesome tranny was finally evicted. Why the process took so long (read: many years) is quite puzzling. A chance encounter with neighbor Ignacio occurred on Monday while he was walking back to the “old folks home” from shopping. His physician has encouraged him to go outside more. And, the neighbor across from the mausoleum has gone MIA for several weeks now. No one knows his whereabouts. Ho-hum.

A wooden stool was espied outside (adjacent to the parking lot of the “old folks home”) along with other pieces of furniture on Sunday afternoon upon return from town. The stool was then appropriated with the intention of placing it in the elevator lobby. However, the utility of the stool will be better served in the mausoleum. Ho-hum.

The Beats® Studio Pro headphones and the MacBook Neo remain in their original factory boxes. The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are still sitting in the technology accessories box. Obviously, they are useless possessions. Ho-hum.

The air conditioner in the mausoleum is now left running all night. Otherwise, the ambient temperature (about 83^o to 85^o F) would be unbearable. Surprisingly, the fan noise has not been a problem. Quality of sleep has slightly improved. The heatwave continues unabated. Ho-hum.

Miscellany: The long-awaited “shock to the system” in empire may never come as opined by Karl Sanchez. He’s presumably correct as empire imports oil by pipelines from Mexico and Canada. The East Coast, of course, benefits the most, whereas the West Coast (and Hawai’i) relies more on imports (possibly from the Levant). West Coast prices for petroleum products are, thus, higher and more volatile. Overall, though, domestic prices will rise proportionately with global trends. That’s the “market” at play.

Poison 2026

Nearly all commercially available baked goods contain vegetable oil. It is used primarily to make the baked goods “moist.” Unfortunately, vegetable oils contain a large quantity of Omega-6 fatty acids (mostly linolenic acid). The latter is inflammatory and is one of the causes leading to atherosclerosis (damage to endothelium lining of arteries). Orowheat® multi-grain bread contains soybean oil, enough to leave a “footprint” on a paper towel. However, it also contains flaxseed, which contains Omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed may actually balance the fatty acid content and reduce the prospect of inflammation.

All commercially available baked goods also contain acrylamide, a carcinogen, that forms because of a reaction between reducing sugars and the amino acid asparagine via the Maillard reaction. Peanuts (and peanut butter) also contain the deadly substance because of roasting, but at a negligible level.

Orowheat® baked goods will now be considered discretionary. A return to Thomas’® bagels (or equivalent) is possible. Higher quality plain bagels are made with no vegetable oil.

Bush’s® baked beans and the Healthy Choice® Protein Bowls do not list vegetable oils in the ingredients. The baked beans have a lot of brown sugar, though. And, the Protein Bowls are higher in sodium. Both the latter and former are tolerable.

At this point, there really isn’t much of anything in the modified diet. It is essentially bland, which may help the poor body heal on its own. Eliminating the poisons is the essential first step. Eventually, more types of food will be added, providing there are no toxicities.

The article that was cited in the previous Notes post is worthy of reading. There are also many articles about the beta blocker scam as well, which may be discussed in Notes in the future.

In the meantime, there will be no return to any of previously patronized eating establishments. Panda Express®, for one, is no longer an option. Every entrée on the menu is saturated with vegetable oil. The food is literally sitting in a pool of oil. So, the reward points will be forfeited and the on-line account closed. As for the fast food joints … adios amigos!

On a side note, the results from the blood test taken at the end of March were finally posted. The total cholesterol was 205mg/dL and the LDL cholesterol was 142mg/dL. Blood glucose was 100ml/dL. The prognosis was high cholesterol and the return of pre-diabetes.

Miscellany: Many food products at Target® realized yet another 20% increase in prices this week.

Addendum: There are actually two menu choices at Panda Express® that are acceptable … grilled teriyaki chicken and Super Greens.

Revision: Quaker® instant oatmeal and Kaimana Jerky® tuna jerky were appended to the approved food products list.

Clinic 2026 Update

The second follow-up visit to the Ohua Clinic went well. Blood pressure is still low. Weight is lower than expected. The new attending physician was introduced. She is a physician’s assistant (read: intern) and seems very thorough. Of course, there’s more of same (medical and pharmaceutical) protocol rigidity.

The referral to a dermatologist is being processed. Priority will be given to the upcoming appointment, and cost will not be a factor. There is no desire for the potential skin cancer candidate to spread throughout the body.

The other tests, as detailed in Notes, are still pending. The attending physician will attempt to reclassify the blood test and CT coronary calcium score (radiology) for cholesterol to include heart problems in order to qualify for insurance coverage. The other two cardiology tests for atrial fibrillation will eventually be scheduled.

Another fasting blood test, specifically for Vitamin D and A1C, is scheduled for Thursday morning. The results of the last fasting blood test for cholesterol has been requested to be posted on-line for perusal. And, a Cologuard® kit was prescribed and ordered for colon cancer screening.

On a side note, a small bottle of TheraTears® dry eye therapy was procured at Target® for $10 (not on sale). The eyes have been irritated since the morning beverage, coffee, was mummified last September. The dry eyes are even worse when quality of sleep is poor. So far, the eye drops seem to be somewhat effective.

Well, the current diet is now completely restricted the following foods:

• Vegetables (fresh and frozen)
• Fruits (apples, bananas, pineapple, etc.)
• Chobani® Greek yogurt or Lifeway® kefir
• Generic instant brown rice (whole grain)
• Orowheat® whole grain multi-grain bread (discretionary)
• Thomas’® plain bagels or equivalent
• Quaker® instant oatmeal (discretionary)
• Bush’s® baked beans or other beans
• Bumble Bee® pink salmon
• Kaimana Jerky® tuna jerky (occasional)
• Generic beef jerky (no preservatives)
• Peanuts (organic peanut butter and whole dry-roasted unsalted)
• Sun-Maid® raisins or equivalent
• Orowheat® cinnamon raisin English muffins (discretionary)
• Healthy Choice® Protein Bowl Adobo Chicken
• Healthy Choice® Simply Steamers® Grilled Chicken Pesto
• Healthy Choice® Café Steamers® Grilled Chicken Pesto or Beef Teriyaki
• Lucky Foods vegan kim chee
• Percy Pig® gummy candy (occasional).

Supplements consist of Vitamin D3 (contains vegetable oil!), psyllium, Ultima Replenisher®, BodyArmor® Lyte, and low-dosage aspirin (blood thinner).

Miscellany: Listening to music with the Beats® Studio Pro headphones (or AirPods Pro 2 earbuds) past 8pm may be another cause of poor quality of sleep. Specifically, the genre of music is the culprit. Switching to ambient music is recommended, albeit boring.

Addendum: The last follow-up visit to the Ohua Clinic was summarized in the Notes post titled, “Unexciting Stories - 7” in the archive (i.e., no dedicated Notes post).

Postscript: The push to prescribe statins for cholesterol is still evident. An interesting article was discovered and is worthy of perusal by everyone before deciding to accept statins therapy. Pay particular attention to the section titled, “Cholesterol ‘Plaques,’” which undermines the whole basis for statins.

Beat the Heat 2026

Another heatwave has descended upon the islands. Wednesday was probably the worst day. Even after nightfall, the heat was unbearable. The air conditioner in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki has been running almost continuously. The afternoon shopping outing to the International Marketplace is nearly unbearable for lack of shaded pedestrian walkways. The outings may have to be rescheduled to 7pm. In the meantime, there are few options aside from sitting on the new Room Essentials® dish chair and vegetating. Sheesh!

Quality of sleep has improved somewhat with less wakings and coincident with the discontinuation of salads for dinner. How is that possible? What ingredient(s) in the salad could have caused a problem? The salad dressings full of vegetable oils, sodium, and sugar? Strange indeed.

High Priest Fauci

High Priest Fauci (Church of Comirnaty) “testified” before a Senate of Empire committee on Wednesday about the origins of “COVID” and the subsequent “super-duper corona” plan-demic by not answering a single question. Fauci, who has committed heinous crimes against humanity, was “preemptively pardoned” by Joe Headroom. Paul Craig Roberts and Karl Denninger have recently commented on the scumbag. Notes has also extensively chronicled the plan-demic.

The Levant

Under pressure from empire, Saudi Arabia went against its own interests. The bombing (by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government) of Sana’a International Airport as an Iranian Mahan Air jet attempted to land was quickly interpreted by Ansarallah as part of the on-going ten-year siege. The airliner was carrying the Ansarallah delegation that attended the funeral of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Ansarallah retaliated by invoking a maritime blockade of Saudi oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Bab al-Mandab (Red Sea). In addition, it launched an attack on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi “coalition” then bombed Hodeidah in Yemen. Ansarallah responded by targeting the Jazan oil refinery (Saudi Aramco).

The Ramadan War is again expected to escalate after “Orange Bad Man” met with his handler, Benzion Mileikowsky, at the funeral for the disgusting warmonger, Lindsay Graham. The funeral was largely attended by a veritable “who’s who” of Club Epstein. Incidentally, Graham was allegedly “martyred” by a Russian missile that destroyed a drone manufacturing facility in Ukraine that he was visiting on that fateful day. A miracle, you think?

A drone attack on an LNG tanker while it was docked at Egypt’s port of Damietta on Wednesday was most likely a Zionist operation to implicate the Iraqi resistance (and, by inference, Iran) to escalate the Ramadan War by pulling Egypt into the fray. Well, with Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab effectively closed, the question remains … when is the “shock to the system” likely to occur?

Lindsay Meadows —— Alex Coal

On a heatwave side note, from the hundreds of hotties and baddies in the vast hurdy-gurdy video library (HGVL), two of the all-time favorites were selected … Lindsay Meadows from the legacy collection, and Alex Coal from the current collection. Heck, many more will be honored in Notes soon.

Addendum: Be sure to download and read the entire essential Fascist library! The whole Fascist plan is right there in the open.

Postscript: The farcical Senate hearing featuring the “testimony” High Priest Fauci essentially was a mockery aimed to ridicule the rank-and-file peons of empire. The sheer arrogance of these Fascist “Epstein class” criminals was on full display.

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).

Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer Candidate

At first, the skin lesion on the back of the right hand seemingly resembled 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 cans remaining from the case that was procured at Target® many moons ago. Droppin’ back the Stout while sitting on 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 …

Summer Solstice 2026

Spooky Dusk View of the Ala Wai

Another atrial fibrillation event occurred last Monday during the first ten minutes of the cardio workout at the gym. The cardio workout was immediately mummified. The previous major (i.e., long duration) event was on April 29th (over 2.5 months ago). Peak heart rate was clocked at 160 bpm. The duration was 4.75 hours.

The aforementioned cardiac ordeal continued through the bus ride back to Waikiki and the brief shopping outing to the International Marketplace. Upon final return to the mausoleum in the “old folks home,” one of the emergency bottles of BodyArmour® Lyte sport drink was consumed. The atrial fibrillation event ceased a few minutes later.

Notched t-wave heartbeats now occur sporadically and with increasing frequency. There’s no apparent trigger. At this point in time, the likelihood of heart disease is certain. The cause is most likely food. During early retirement, the personal desire was to dine out for every meal. Unfortunately, personal finance dictated the quality of the cuisine. The rationale was that working out strenuously at the gym would negate the effects of a shitty diet. Wrong! Even the “healthy” options are deadly.

Chronic neck pain has now become a new geriatric feature. From what can be ascertained is that the pain is caused by viewing the iPhone screen at an improper head angle. Or, it could be a sign of an impending heart attack.

And, like a bad sitcom, the plantar warts keep coming back. Dr. Scholl's® Clear Away® plantar wart remover was procured at Target® for $10 (not on sale). There is never a reprieve from the old man maladies. Sheesh!

A major heatwave arrived on Wednesday. Ambient temperatures feel much higher without the usual trade winds. The afternoon outings to the International Marketplace have become a grueling and sweaty experience. The outings may have to be rescheduled for later times.

Public transportation (read: bus service) on the island has been getting worse by the day. As stated previously, there really is no schedule. Now, there are random cancellations occurring on the more popular routes. And, the cost of fares and passes are increasing on July 1st.

Too much time is now being spent in the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. There’s only one word to describe the situation … nauseating. There’s simply nothing to do in Waikiki except to loiter in the various shopping malls. As stated many times, the entirety of Waikiki is one big shopping mall. As a loner and misanthrope, there are no friends or acquaintances to socialize with. Well, at least the mausoleum has air conditioning. Sheesh!

On a side note, there appears to be much celebration concerning the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between empire and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The MoU is not a peace treaty. It is only an agreement to commence negotiations over a 60-day period. In addition, any temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz is not going to mitigate the “oil shock” that is due in a few weeks. The very few cargo ships that have exited the strait will not arrive at their destinations for several weeks. And, their numbers are so low that there will be little effect on existing oil supplies.

Addendum: Larry Johnson has been tracking the upcoming “shock to the system.” In his latest post at Sonar21, he provides valuable information that people need to understand

King Kamehameha Day 2026

King Kamehameha I

Another no-holiday holiday has come and gone. No detours and no change in the routine, thank Molech. In other words, same ol’ shit. Well, the situation could be worse, and will be soon, primarily because of “Orange Bad Man” and the fool’s continuation of the Ramadan War. Credit must be given the leadership of Iran for exhibiting extreme patience.

The Apple® WWDC event was of no personal interest. The focus was on the “improved” voice assistant, Siri AI, and other AI bullshit. Thus, the iPhone 16 Pro and Watch Series 9 will be deployed for at least another year. Since Apple® Intelligence will continue to be disabled on all personal devices, there’s no need for any new hardware. The MacBook Neo, of course, has hardware limitations, so the AI bullshit for the latter is moot.

The weather abruptly changed yesterday to a heatwave. The ambient temperature is almost unbearable, even with the modest trade winds. Thus, the brief afternoon outing to the International Marketplace may have to be moved to a time later in the afternoon. Loitering in the shopping mall has long been discontinued. Shopping at Target® is the sole purpose.

A small Figment® food container ($4.20 clearance sale) and a Room Essentials® dinner plate (50 cents, made in China) were procured this week at Target® in addition to the usual food products. So far, no non-perishable foods have been purchased for the upcoming “shock to the system” caused by the “Orange” clown.

So far, the new diet has remained consistent. There have been no deviations. So, no ice cream, no chocolate candy, no blueberry muffins, no fast food crap. There may never be any deviation until health conditions improve significantly. Oh well.

Addendum: The second follow-up appointment of June 12th at the Ohua Clinic was rescheduled for August 3rd. The new appointment will likely be rescheduled again. The visit is pointless since none of the costly laboratory tests have been done.

Message From Colonel Macgregor

2 Eb’ 5 Sotz’

From many different sources, the upcoming “oil shock” crisis is slated to commence as early as the end of this month. In addition to oil, the availability of liquid natural gas (LNG), fertilizers, and aluminum will be severely impacted. What is truly amazing is that the “Epstein class” is allowing the full depletion of global strategic reserves just to maintain the façade of status quo until the very end.

Here in Waikiki, the tourist industry is booming. There have been no reductions in airline flights in and out of the islands. One would be hard pressed to believe that the upcoming crisis is just a few weeks away.

Incidentally, all necessities are imported to the islands. All oil and petroleum products are shipped in. The only oil refinery here was shuttered years ago. Electricity is generated by oil burning plants. So, no oil, no electricity. All food is imported. No cargo ships, no food. The only diary farm was phased out years ago. Parker Ranch still raises cattle, but not at the capacity of a few decades ago. Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, pineapple, and some mango and papaya will not sustain the local population.

At present, the personal survival plan is to maintain a variety of perishable food in the refrigerator in the mausoleum (in the “old folks home” in Waikiki). Most likely, an inventory of canned goods and non-perishable food will be purchased in the coming weeks to insure sustenance for at least a month. Hopefully, that will be enough to last until transportation out of the islands is possible.

The “markets” are still fully assuming that Iran will capitulate and surrender to “Orange Bad Man.” Yeah, fat chance! The majority of the population in empire, including Hawai’i, are oblivious to the current situation, which means that, if the crisis unfolds horrifically, there will be anarchy and chaos of an order never seen before.

In the meantime, there has been no change in the usual routine. Well, actually, stopping over at Ala Moana Center in the morning has been reinstated, but only for 30 minutes. The workouts at the gym remain the same. The one-hour (read: two 30-minute) workouts have been physically taxing. The diet remains the same, too. The goal is still to perform a natural health recovery. The upcoming crisis may affect the availability of medications, so the best option is to not be dependent on them. Is anyone else preparing for the crisis? Apparently not.

Addendum: Both Larry Johnson and Pepe Escobar have revealed that confirmed sources have verified that the Islamic Republic of Iran has a prototype thermonuclear device (configured as a “demonstration” model) and/or a functional bomb. If so, Orange” and Benzion Mileikowsky have really “fucked up.”

Miscellany: The Target® Circle 360® “freebie” for the month of June was a package of M&S Percy Pig® gummy candy. Yum!