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!