105 F Yesterday

 It'll be a scorching week with no relief in sight. The heat waves ten to fifteen years from now will be much worse than this. And in 20 years or so they might not be survivable. How long does Las Vegas have? Water critical and their drought might be the new normal. Welcome to the shithole that humans have made of Planet Earth. It will only get worse. 

Of course, some people might opt to commit suicide on Mars or the Moon. Gee, there are easier and cheaper ways to do it... multi-planet species? It won't happen. The earth might be a nasty shithole in the future, but it'll still be better than a stone dead frozen wasteland bathed in deadly radiation. 

Starting The Day At 77 F

 It isn't even that cool in the morning. My thermostat is set on 79F, to do my infinitesimal part to preserve the power grid (hahahah) and I compensate with various ceiling fans and air circulators. I'm comfortable enough. Most of the USA sweltered yesterday and will swelter again today. That's what you get for releasing carbon dioxide that has been sequestered in the ground for many millions of years. Any young earthers out there can kiss my ass. Your children and grandchildren will live in a toxic hellhole because YOU had shit for brains. YOU! At least, most of you... certainly not all. But MOST of you. And on that cheery and cantankerous note (I'm old. Fuck you if you can't take a joke.) more of those fascinating glimpses of a weird world:

 The Texas flag and ribbon wire-- seems to be an ever more appropriate juxtaposition. 

It's A Heat Wave

 A group called "Lothar and the Hand People" did a song on an album released ever so many years ago called "Heat Wave". And here we are with a heat wave across most of the state! Well, it just goes to show-- something. The distinctive thing about that group was the use of a theramin. You've heard those if you've ever watched a science fiction movie made back in the fifties. I don't think any other group ever used one of those in a putative rock band before, or since, The Hand People. On a lighter note, it is so very clear that human "civilization" (hahahaha) as we know it is not sustainable. 

Between Post and Gail, above. It might not look much like that anymore. It might be more like a desert now. 

Exploitation of fossil fuel on a massive scale was the beginning of the end. Transition to nuclear and solar and wind should have occurred early on, as soon as feasible, but that didn't happen, for various reasons, and now it's too late. I'm pretty sure it's too late. I'm pretty sure that humanity's goose is cooked. Are we going to be a multi-planet species? Not bloody likely. We couldn't even be a successful single planet species. 

Heating Up And Drying Out

 But it's suffer time, so...

The last two pics illustrate what you can expect to see on the lonely drive between Post and Gail. I'll have more of those next time. The silence is incredible and views of the night sky must be awesome. Unfortunately there is no road shoulder to speak of, and even though traffic is almost non-existent, there's enough to make setting up a telescope at night dicey at best. 

An Ordinary Morning

 Heating up, of course. That's to be expected. Much accomplished yesterday so very little needs to be done today. 

These zoomed-in pics are among the last visual records of what was once a hot spot on Lubbock's Strip, when Lubbock was "dry". Those days are gone for good, and good riddance to that bluenose nonsense. I buy my wine in a local supermarket. When I buy beer I buy it in a local supermarket. If I ever have any desire for a single malt scotch, I can get that easily and conveniently. Contrary to the lunatic ravings of Lubbock's religious whack-jobs, the world didn't end when Lubbock ceased to be "dry". We should not forget that the same people who gave us those liquor prohibitions fought integration, and turned to their Bibles to justify both segregation and slavery. Never forget and never forgive. Once wrong always wrong. Of course, they'd never admit to this day that they were wrong. They are just biding their time, waiting for the return of "the good old days", when White was Right. They are the evil in our midst.