That's Zork Storage above. I did not go there today. I will go there tomorrow. I love that shot, and will experiment with cropping to get the proper Renaissance sense of depth and layers. In one sense it works better as a square, but the expanse on the left sets off the yellow-white part better.

Cold, breezy. Bright sun, but a bite to the air. If it was October, we’d say there was a snap in the air, because we like October and the cool sensations are novel, and snap sounds crisp as apples, the official fruit mascot of Fall. But it is April, and we reach for words with a hint of cruelty.

I am writing this in the afternoon after being driven to the edge of despair assembling an IKEA SKJFWEW or something TV stand. Once again, this situation:

But in order to get to that point, I had to get the thing into the Fred. I picked it up at IKEA, and was not entirely surprised to find that it barely fit in the car. It’s 85 inches long. Two boxes, each weighting 70 pounds. Well, I can lift that, thanks to all my diligent effort, but the boxes were unwieldy, and I wondered how I’d get them up to the 7th floor. To my delight a moving cart had appeared in the garage area, and if I tipped them out of the back of the car with care, I could thread both boxes through the frame of the cart. So far: looking good.

I get to the elevator. They won’t fit. Too long. While the elevator complains and dings and says “look pal I have somewhere to be” I pull out the heavy boxes and lean them against the elevator wall, then drag the cart in with my foot. I enjoy the peaceful, uneventful ride up seven floors, then drag a box out, lean it against the wall, put my foot against the door as it starts to close, remove the other box, and get them both back on the cart. It's miserable work. I blame Her. Not entirely. 96% of it, though.

I head down the hall, noting as usual the smell of weed, get to my unit, beep the fob, open the door -

And I am stunned to find that my apartment is fully furnished

What the -

I look around; door numbers start with 8. I went up one too many. I quickly back out, and wonder: does my fob open every door? No, they just hadn’t locked it. That was close. Back down a floor, repeating the process of removing and leaning and removing and leaning and putting them back on the cart. By now my back, which had been singing a ceaseless threnody since I woke, due to yesterday’s box-and-dolly dance, was shrieking in complaint. But I got them to the unit.

Took a while to get everything out.

That's half of it. I got one step into the process and was stymied: the holes. They do not align. Is this piece the right one? And, of course, am I missing two crucial pieces? You're always convinced they didn't pack all the pieces. Every time. I decided to go downstairs and walk around and consult with a small cigar and collect myself. Down the hall, past the two weed-stink spots, thinking: I am should say something. Not on anyone specifically, but just a note to the home office about the southwest area of the building.

If it was a cooking odor, or perfume, or a dog accident, or anything else, I wouldn’t care. But the lease specifically forbids this, and I am living up to my end of the bargain by not even taking a single surreptitious puff of a cheroot on my balcony on a windy day, and these guys just hotbox their apartment with weed? Or do I say nothing, have my occasional puff and take the lacadasical attitude towards Satan's Cabbage as a sign I won't be violated?

Look at the wreckage of me: instantly turned into that guy after 32 years of living in a house. I blame Her. Not entirely. 96% of it, though.

Anyway: the elevator buttons didn't light up. They don't light up in case of a fire. Was there a fire? Nothing seemed to indicate it. I could take the stairs down, but then I'd have to go up seven flights. I turned, defeated, and went back to the apartment, thinking I can't go, I'm stuck. I blame Her. Not entirely. 96% of it, though.

Went back to the old place to nap, then make dinner. Then back to the HNP, armed with my iPad and an assembly tutorial. Bless the fellow who did it. I rattled through the steps, and to repay him I watched all the ads without skipping. Hit a two-person point, though, so I'll need the Giant Swede to swing over after work and help me align the big top. It will be a great accomplishment. In the evening I expect I'll get some cake and ice cream for Current, as it is her birthday.

You know, I saved her cards every year and put them in the big clear plastic bag, the annual assembly of Signs of Life. I always found the cards she received in the recycling bin. But those were all the cards from everyone, so I shouldn't take it personally.

Oooh, I'm in a mood.

Most of the drug commercials I see on TV all blend together into one sorry story of people who are depressed and have vines stretching around their abdomen. The former is a pill that works with your other depression medication to make you better, and the vines stand in for some kind of bowel unhappiness. The second half of the ad is better, happier, and brighter, and more likely to have The Color, or a variant.

This stood out, though. Does this seem familiar? Yes? It’s a sign you’re a seasoned computer user of the Mac variety.

It’s not exactly the San Francisco font, but it’s the inheritor of the idea. I don’t know if it’s meant to evoke nostalgia.

M - NDR
T - LNDSMN
W - FAM
TH - PRDS
F -SNW

I'm stumped about the first. Otherwise, it's:

T - Landsman
W - For All Mankind
TH - Paradise
F -Strange New Worlds

But what is NDR? Google says it's "No Demo Reno." I don't think so. This is how addled my brain has become. I cannot remember the name of the TV show I haven't watched, but intend to watch.

UPDATE SIX HOURS LATER: ANDOR SEASON 2

Crimeny.

It’s 1932.

We’ve been here before, looking through upscale boat-mag ads at a time when the economy wasn’t exactly throwing off a lot of spare samoleons.

All these names you probably recognize recommend true screw efficiency!

To my surprise:

Federal-Mogul Corporation is an American developer, manufacturer, and supplier of products for automotive, commercial, aerospace, marine, rail, and off-road vehicles, as well as industrial, agricultural, and power-generation applications. It was acquired in February 2022 by Apollo Global Management.

Is an American developer, not was. Hurrah!

The famous name in binocs and lens and the rest.

But who was he? You can read his bio if you wish. Here's a picture of the street in Germany where his work began.

A phrase you wouldn’t see in an ad today: “searchingly compare.”

No wiki page for the company. Just some restoration stories. Nothing on the spot today.

Perko!

I love the typeface.

YOU NEED THIS and also I’ll be damned if I can figure any of this out.

I’ll bet a lot of dreamers bought this book. Guys who didn’t have a boat, probably wouldn’t get a boat, but longed for one. They’d bone up on their Small Boat Handling in case the opportunity ever arose.

Besides, a fella likes to know he could navigate, if he had to.

It’s a lot, but I love it. Top to bottom. Rope letters are always fun.

8:30:02 Open her wide

The life of Van Blerck, here.

I have to say, that’s just a great line. Cream of the Crudes. You could apply that to someone well-spoken in a 50s juvie gang.

And they sold maybe two.

Then again, once Old Man Depression is banished, it’ll be the new world of marvels. Radio at sea, for everyone! You can cruise the briney deep while listening to politicians lie!

I'll bet those tubes got loose from the pounding, and the whole thing rusted fast or shorted out. Or maybe not! Crosley knew what they were doing.

That will do. What's new in Comic Sins? Obscurities! At least to modern eyes. See you around.