Random Thoughts & Stuff

Ah, the joys of insomnia! Well I’m not sure if I should call it insomnia or not. I have no trouble falling asleep at all. The problem is I wake up after about 4 hours. And I mean wake up. About 3 AM rolls around and I wake up, fully, totally awake, not tired at all, fully alert, with sleep the last thing I want to do. I feel as if I’ve had a full, complete night’s rest. By about 10 or 11 AM I’m starting to feel a bit tired, take an hour nap or so, and I’m good for the rest of the day. I’m not sure what the heck is going on, but that’s the way things have been going here for the last month or so. Occasionally I’ll sleep to 5 or 6 AM, but that’s rare.

So what does one do at 4 AM when the rest of the world is asleep? Well, stuff like this….

I draw stuff, sometimes. When I’m in the mood. I fire up Photoshop on the big computer and drawing tablet and start fiddling around with a combination of sketching and filling and mix in some AI stuff and I end up with things like that up there. I start sketching things out, fill in bits and pieces with the AI thingie, fiddle around with smoothing and blending, adding more detail and eventually I end up with something that I, at least, like.

Book Pricing

So they got me working on pricing books again, this time children’s books. It’s fascinating. The price ranges on some of this stuff is fascinating. I was looking up that book over there on the left just a short time ago. The Berenstain books are considered “classics”, I suppose, like Seuss’s books. But they printed these things in the millions. It isn’t like they’re collector’s items or something.

But damn, some people try. If you look that one up over there on places like eBay you’ll find people asking mind bogglingly huge amounts of money for it. The highest price I found someone asking for this book was $240.

Seriously. Someone was asking $240 for that book up there. Another was a more “reasonable” $190.

If you dig around further you’ll find that the real selling price for that book, in reasonably good condition, is about $3.

The sellers of these high priced versions must think that there is someone, somewhere out there, who is stupid enough to pay $200 or more for a $3 book?j

Once in a while I run into a gem. I found one rather obscure Little Golden Book, a first edition with a very rare cover color, that was legitimately selling for big $$$. In pristine condition it was going for well over $100 for some reason. Alas, the one we had was not in pristine condition. In that kind of condition it was going for $40 or so. So by our standard policy we charge about 1/3 of what the retail price is, so I should probably put about $10 – $12 on it. But who’s going to pay that kind of money for a kid’s book around here? Oh, well. Not my problem. I slapped a not on it explaining it to the manager and I’ll let her decide what to do with it.

Solar Repairs and Theft???

The weather is fantastic out there right now, in the mid-50s, almost 30 degrees warmer than it was this time yesterday, so I took advantage of that to make some repairs to the solar panels. A couple of weeks ago I got up and looked out the window in the dim light of dawn and saw what looked like one of my solar panels laying face down in the middle of the yard?? WTF?

I bundled up and went out. Sure enough, one of the panels was laying out there, with the MP4 connectors ripped right off of the cables. At first MrsGF and I figured a gust of wind had caught it. They’re just leaning up against the side of the garage after all. But if that was the case why only one? Those panels are all wired together. If the wind caught one, the wires and connectors would be more than strong enough to pull several of the others along with it.

So I checked the historical data from the weather station in the backyard and we had almost no wind at all that night. The biggest gust we had was only 5 MPH for the previous 24 hours. So obviously it hadn’t been the wind.

So I went out and looked around again and… There wasn’t much snow out there, only in parts of the yard, and there were what looked suspiciously like the footprints of someone cutting through the backyards of my place and the neighbors’ yards. I figure some nimrod was stumbling home half drunk or something, went “Ooo, free solar panels!” and it wasn’t until after he’d ripped one free he realized that trying to lug around a 5 foot tall, 3 foot wide, 40 lb solar panel at two in the morning wasn’t a good idea and just dropped it.

Anyway, I hate trying to do wiring in cold weather. My fingers are clumsy enough as it is. Besides, the weather was so cloudy we hadn’t gotten enough sun to bother switching over to solar anyway. But today being bright and sunny and even warm, I spent a half hour trying to find where I’d put my MP4 connectors, crimping tools, etc. and then went out and got everything hooked up again.

Then held my breath, kept the fire extinguisher handy just in case I screwed up, switched everything on and… and it worked? Yeah, it worked.

So we got the solar going again, just in time for the spring sun. Even with some high haze I’m pulling in enough sun power to run the whole house off the panels. We’re pulling in 1.8KW at the moment.

Then, of course, I have the new panels sitting in the garage waiting. Getting those up is outside of my control. MrsGF won’t let me go on the roof any more for some reason. Not that I pay any attention to that when she’s not around, of course. She caught up up the spruce tree in the backyard one day stringing up antenna wires. Ooo, was she mad…

Anyway, we’re back on solar again, finally!

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Author: grouchyfarmer

Yes, I'm a former farmer. Sort of. I'm also an amateur radio operator, amateur astronomer, gardener, maker of furniture, photographer.

15 thoughts on “Random Thoughts & Stuff”

  3. I am an insomniac myself….mine is dew to pain issues and I research when I cannot find something else to do which is most of the time. Good to hear you got it up and working and the attempted theft would have pissed me off….Sue will not let me get more than 3 feet off the ground….so I know where she is coming from…..have a good night. chuq

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    1. Sorry to hear you have a problem with pain. I do a bit, but generally only if I lay in one position for too long. I generally sleep on my left side and if I don’t move around at night my left hip will start bothering me enough that it gets to be a bit too much. This, though… this is just weird. Yesterday I slept straight through from about 11PM to 630 AM. Today? Well today it’s just a bit past 3AM and I’m wide away.

      Fortunately the repairs were easy, just had to replace a couple of connectors. It could have been a lot worse. I’m still not entirely sure if it was a person or some kind of freak gust of wind that didn’t register on the weather station for some reason. We’re looking into some kind of home surveillance system. I have a Ring doorbell which is kind of nice, but I don’t really want to get tied into something that requires an ongoing subscription and stores video in the “cloud” somewhere.

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        1. I have to get a nap in for an hour or so too when I’m up this early otherwise I’m burned out by early afternoon. It’s almost like my body has adapted to this weird schedule so completely that it thinks this is normal?

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      2. From what you posted, it sounds like a dumb ass thief. That was no gust of wind. I’d consider reporting it. Just in case there have been other instances of theft in your area. I’d also at least consider a redneck security system, a couple of trail cams in key places. But for what they’d cost you’d be halfway to a more suitable security system…

        Have you tried melatonin?

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        1. I am trying melatonin but i’m not sure how effective it is. I don’t have any problems falling asleep, it’s staying asleep for more than 4 hours. Oh, well.

          I’m looking at Eufy cameras. Solar powered, local connectivity only, no could access required, works by recording to SD card and over home wifi.

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  5. I have just recently discovered that chewing some crystallized ginger before going to bed helps me sleep like a baby. I got permission from myh doctor first, though. I never do anything new without talking to my doctor.

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      1. Please let me know how the ginger ting works out…. here is my rationale for trying it:

        Chewing crystallized ginger may help you sleep better and relax due to several properties of ginger and the act of chewing itself:

        1. Ginger’s Calming Compounds: Ginger contains bioactive compounds like gingerol and shogaol, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These may reduce stress and promote a sense of calm by supporting the body’s response to inflammation and oxidative stress, which can interfere with sleep.
        2. Digestive Aid: Ginger is known for soothing the digestive system, reducing nausea, and easing bloating. A settled stomach can make it easier to relax and fall asleep, as digestive discomfort often disrupts rest.
        3. Blood Sugar Regulation: Crystallized ginger, though sweet, provides a small dose of ginger’s natural compounds that may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Stable blood sugar prevents spikes and crashes that can disrupt sleep or cause restlessness.
        4. Chewing as a Relaxation Mechanism: The act of chewing can be inherently calming, as it engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Chewing also increases saliva production, which can signal the body to wind down.
        5. Aromatherapy Effect: The spicy, warming aroma of ginger can have a mild aromatherapeutic effect, stimulating the senses in a soothing way and potentially reducing anxiety.
        6. Mild Sedative Potential: Some anecdotal evidence suggests ginger may interact indirectly with the nervous system, promoting relaxation, though scientific studies on this are limited.

        Notes:

        • Moderation is Key: Crystallized ginger contains sugar, so consuming too much could counteract relaxation by causing a sugar rush. A small piece (1-2 grams) is typically enough. That would be half a teaspoon to one whole teaspoon ….I find that half a teaspoon does it for me …but I chew it all the way down to the pulp — just like chewing gum —you have to experiment to see what is right for you…
        • Individual Responses Vary: Ginger may not work the same for everyone. If you have acid reflux or are sensitive to spicy foods, it could cause discomfort.
        • CONSULT A DOCTOR : If you have underlying health conditions or take medications, check with a healthcare provider, as ginger can interact with certain drugs (e.g., blood thinners).

        There’s no direct scientific evidence proving crystallized ginger induces deep sleep, but its digestive, anti-inflammatory, and calming properties, combined with the act of chewing, may create a relaxing pre-sleep ritual, helping you “sleep like a baby.

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      2. Chewing crystallized ginger may help you sleep better and relax due to several properties of ginger and the act of chewing itself:

        1. Ginger’s Calming Compounds: Ginger contains bioactive compounds like gingerol and shogaol, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These may reduce stress and promote a sense of calm by supporting the body’s response to inflammation and oxidative stress, which can interfere with sleep.
        2. Digestive Aid: Ginger is known for soothing the digestive system, reducing nausea, and easing bloating. A settled stomach can make it easier to relax and fall asleep, as digestive discomfort often disrupts rest.
        3. Blood Sugar Regulation: Crystallized ginger, though sweet, provides a small dose of ginger’s natural compounds that may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Stable blood sugar prevents spikes and crashes that can disrupt sleep or cause restlessness.
        4. Chewing as a Relaxation Mechanism: The act of chewing can be inherently calming, as it engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Chewing also increases saliva production, which can signal the body to wind down.
        5. Aromatherapy Effect: The spicy, warming aroma of ginger can have a mild aromatherapeutic effect, stimulating the senses in a soothing way and potentially reducing anxiety.
        6. Mild Sedative Potential: Some anecdotal evidence suggests ginger may interact indirectly with the nervous system, promoting relaxation, though scientific studies on this are limited.

        Notes:

        • Moderation is Key: Crystallized ginger contains sugar, so consuming too much could counteract relaxation by causing a sugar rush. A small piece (1-2 grams) is typically enough.
        • Individual Responses Vary: Ginger may not work the same for everyone. If you have acid reflux or are sensitive to spicy foods, it could cause discomfort.
        • CONSULT A DOCTOR : If you have underlying health conditions or take medications, check with a healthcare provider, as ginger can interact with certain drugs (e.g., blood thinners).

        There’s no direct scientific evidence proving crystallized ginger induces deep sleep, but its digestive, anti-inflammatory, and calming properties, combined with the act of chewing, may create a relaxing pre-sleep ritual, helping you “sleep like a baby.

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