"Why did [Alexei] Navalny fail to overthrow Putin? His supporters may argue that he never had much of a chance: the Kremlin controls all major media in Russia, clamps down harshly on any dissent, and made life--literally--as difficult as possible for him and his dream.

All of that is true. But another, deeper reason for Navalny's failure may have been his conception of a post-Putin government: a liberal democracy like the 'normal' West. The issue with this formulation was that many today do not find the West to be 'normal', at least not anymore. His failure should serve not just as a warning for Russian opposition figures; it should also serve as a warning for Westerners. Much like the Soviet Union before it, the central ideology of the twenty-first century West has a time limit. And time is running out."

- Anthony J. Constantini, Bleak and Full of Promise:

Echoes of the Late Soviet Union

Normally I wouldn't say anything about this as I'm pressed for time now, but I had to post the following:

price per oz. as of Mar. 18th, 2233hrs. Up just over 4% in a week's time

price of gold over a five-year period, as of now

Been waiting for this for months. Finally it's happening... Thank you Mr. Trump, for your flip-flopping with your tariff foolishness.

This is a real-life example: Though conventional assets are great for investment, you don't want to put every dollar you have into them exclusively. This, ladies & gentlemen, is why you should hold precious metals.

The investors mentioned in the article, however, are late to the party.

I would post a sexy animated GIF in celebration, but NG's blogging platform apparently doesn't work with 'em.

...for the next few weeks:

Packin' Trunk

Key to The Highway

Not all music is made with--or requires--a program to edit tracks, kids.

If that 2nd song doesn't grab you, there's a later more high production-value version here...involving Slash. You're welcome.

In other news, there isn't any... But seriously, the move continues. Been working on other stuff also...not much time left for that. Aside from two current projects, everything else is on hold until I get to the land. Once I'm there I will be busy so don't expect regular posts. Got maybe three things left to put up before April.

Last week I packed up part of my personal library. It's supposed to rain today, so I'll probably pack more of it after I get up. My library is small as you would expect from years of living in apartments...small, but solid. Not much fluff in my library. I don't read mass-market paperbacks in general. Fiction has its place, of course, but I have no use for most of it. (You can keep whatever's popular this month) Some classic 20th-century novels are great...I dig post-apoc fiction, too.

The following is a brief, somewhat random selection mostly from the general & mil history parts of my library. Titles with an asterisk are must-read items:

The Epic of Gilgamesh* – Herbert Mason, trans.

Cradle of Civilization – Samuel Noah Kramer (Time-Life Books)

Ancient China – Edward H. Schafer (Time-Life Books)

Atlas of the Bible – Joseph L. Gardner (ed.)

From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68 – H. H. Scullard

The Great Arab Conquests* – Hugh Kennedy

The Closing of the Western Mind* – Charles Freeman

The Story of Civilization IV: The Age of Faith* – Will Durant

Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages – Mark R. Cohen

Frederick the Great – Gerhard Ritter

American Creation – Joseph J. Ellis

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America* – Nancy Isenberg

The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire – Alan Palmer

Three Empires on the Nile: The Victorian Jihad, 1869-1899 – Dominic Green

Hitler's Social Revolution: Class and Status in Nazi Germany 1933-1939 – David Schoenbaum

The Harvest of Sorrow – Robert Conquest

Sacred Causes* – Michael Burleigh

Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History – Robert D. Kaplan

A Dictionary of European Land Battles From the Earliest Times to 1945 – John Sweetman

A History of Warfare – John Keegan

The Anatomy of Error – Barry Strauss, Josiah Ober

Qadesh 1300 BC: Clash of the Warrior Kings – Mark Healy (Osprey Campaign Series 22)

Ancient Israel at War 853-586 BC – Brad E. Kelle

Cannae* – Adrian Goldsworthy

Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265-146 BC – Terence Wise, Richard Hook (Osprey Men-At-Arms Series 121)

The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Land Empire in History – Thomas J. Craughwell

The Templars – Piers Paul Read

The Civil War – Bruce Catton

The Guns of August* – Barbara W. Tuchman

A Peace to End All Peace – David Fromkin

Warriors of the Rising Sun – Robert B. Edgerton

No Uncle Sam: The Forgotten of Bataan – Tony Bilek, Gene O'Connell

The Six-Day War 1967: Sinai – Simon Dunstan (Osprey Campaign 212)

Operation Paperclip – Annie Jacobsen

Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987 – Bob Woodward

Unintended Consequences* – Peter W. Galbraith

Night Draws Near – Anthony Shadid

Where Men Win Glory – Jon Krakauer

88 Days to Kandahar – Robert L. Grenier

The 9/11 Report* – Thomas H. Kean, Chair; Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair

The Influence of Seapower Upon History – Alfred Thayer Mahan

100 Mistakes That Changed History – Bill Fawcett

Serpent On the Rock – Kurt Eichenwald

If you're wondering whether to read any of the above...yes. You absolutely should.

Am on a rather heavy antibiotic now. doxycycline. From the size of the capsules, I assume they're actually horse pills...there's a warning on the bottle about exposure to direct sunlight while taking this stuff. As I am already a nocturnal creature with Celtic-white skin, this does me no favors as far as adapting to the lifestyle I am transitioning to. Oh well...figure it out when I get there. At this point, if there wasn't an issue with ventilation I'd build myself a coffin & sleep in it. Why not? Once the lid is down it's nice & dark...no light to get in your eyes when you're trying to rest. :-D

The stuff is working, if slowly. Also went to the leasing office last week...told the head flack that there is no way I will be ready to move out on March 10th, not with the way things are going. We talked for a bit. My move-out date was extended out; I will have to pay extra but not nearly as much as I'd expected. She decided to work with me on this, I think, because I've always been on time with the rent except once (that was an honest mistake), I don't complain too much, & no other resident has ever complained about me. Which is rather odd, given the stuff I've done out on the patio...

So I have a little more room to maneuver now. That's good, because I will need all of it. Still gotta make my truck legal (no plates yet but I have insurance), & soon. Because I have to get to the storage facility down there & start putting in things I won't use right away. Not that I have a lot, but my books have to sit somewhere until I have a house...or at least a shed that will keep the rain & bugs out.

Since all the above is in play & I'm fighting off a nasty sinus infection, I haven't done much art. Finally edited an earlier painting, last night. It'll go up this Friday if you wanna see it. The only other thing I've done recently is replace a handle on a tungsten carbide hone:

That's three-strand flat hemp braid epoxied on it. Last year I bought a few hones to keep in different places...they work great but I don't like the slick plastic coating the handles have. Sometimes I braid hemp twine when I'm under stress & can't do anything else (cheap therapy)...if you roll up the braids after you're done & save them, you may find uses for them later on. They're great on tools, for a fibrous non-slip grip. Plus it has that homey craft vibe, which I like.

...it's always amusing when the junior woodchucks around here can't deal with me.

Feb. 17th Edit: As usual, sometimes I get one of these...

Got a new debit card now. That much has been solved.

I may go to the walk-in clinic tomorrow...I can't afford to have this sinus bullshit lingering on. Not when the clock is ticking in my ear like Big Ben. Too much to do now.

Will probably get rid of a fair chunk of my personal library...the physical part, that is. I'll miss the books I drop but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. On the bright side, the virtual/digital part of my library has expanded tremendously in the last four years.

Would like to upload one more thing for the gallery but at this point, I doubt I will get to that. Not much time now. I might have more time once I'm on my land...unlikely, though.

In the meantime here's something for your amusement:

The polar vortex is past; now the yearly pollen storm is rising....am wondering if I caught a cold.

I really don't need this 💩 right now.

Also - Noticed there are a few new people here in the last three weeks or so. Welcome. If you feel like it, check out my file folders ("playlists"). All my art & crafts are in them.

A few weeks left until the move...& I'm behind. That kinda thing can frazzle your nerves. But then moving is a pain in the ass even under ideal conditions, so I'm trying not to stress out any more than I have to.

I also need a truck. Bad. You can't live out in the boondocks without one, unless you're a Mennonite. In which case you need at least one horse to pull your carriage with, & probably another for your plow. So I'm lookin' for a set of wheels with a cargo bed this week.

Other than that, not much else to report. Here's some lettering practice from I don't remember when (after 2020?):

Also, @pincharratas - I downloaded your redo of Zero 4 & edited it for clarity...it's not bad, but you need better lighting for taking pictures of your work.

Jan. 27th Edit: I got a lead on a truck. So far it looks good.