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Monday, November 28, 2022

Monthly Electricity Bill -- This Month? No Conservation Efforts -- November 28, 2022

Our monthly utility bill -- we don't have natural gas, only electricity.

I purposely did not do anything to conserve electricity. I am showering once or twice every day now that I am in the fitness center so much. In addition, washing clothes more frequently, not worried about consolidating large loads to save energy.

Here's our most recent electricity bill, for October, 2022, and one can see we used quite a bit more electricity that the previous two months.

Including fees, taxes, etc.,  works out to 14.5 cents / kWh. 

Fourteenpointfive cents. 

Average retail rate by state.

One New Permit; Eight Permits Renewed; Rigs Back Up To 41 -- November 28, 2022

Active rigs: 41.

WTI: $76.32.

Natural gas: $6.712.

One new permit, #39435:

  • Operator: Koda Resources
  • Field: Daneville (Divide)
  • Comments: 
    • Koda has a permit for a Stout well, lot 2 section 6-160-102; 
      • to be sited 565 FNL and 2145 FEL

Eight permits renewed:

  • Petro-Hunt (6): six USA permits in McKenzie County; five in SESE 3-153-95 and one in lot 4 section 4-153-95;
  • Iron Oil Operating: one Buffalo permit in McKenzie County, NENE 17-148-100;
  • Slawson: one Challenger Federal permit in Mountrail County; NWNWW 29-151-92;

Enerplus canceled one permit:

  • 37315, PA, Enerplus, Brugh Bear 2-11H, McKenzie County.

Seasonal Flu -- 2022 - 2023 Season -- Update -- November 28, 2022

Updates

November 29, 2022: link here.

Original Post 

Link here.








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Triplepidemic
 
 

 

I'm Going Biking -- November 28, 2022

Link here.

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Are You Kidding Me?

Link here. [Update: 12:41 p.m. November 28, 2022: the site is back up and most recent data has been updated; it was delayed due to Thanksgiving last week. The data is somewhat mixed but it appears the rate of "growth" has slowed and even a possibility that we've seen the peak for "seasonal flu" already this year, unless there is a second wave, which would be unusual.]

Elon Musk fires 75% of the employees and twitter seems to be better than ever.

Meanwhile, the government's CDC site is down -- 9:48 a.m. CT -- November 28, 2022.

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For The Archives

While on my bike ride I stopped at our local grocery-story-cum-pharmacy and got my Prevnar 20 "shot."

So, now, all I'm missing is the second of two-in-a-series shingles "shot" and a tetanus shot.

I've had my "seasonal flu" shot and 2 x 2 (two primary and two booster) Covid-19 vaccinations (Pfizer.)

The Prevnar 20: $307. Covered by Medicare and Part D. Note the price: $307. And folks were alarmed that Pfizer was going to charge $100 for the Covid-19 vaccine. 


The literature from the manufacturer (Wyeth, subsidiary of Pfizer) of Prevnar says it's a single-dose vaccination but the pharmacy tech said one gets a "booster" in one year. I think the tech is incorrect. 

From an earlier post:

Memories -- Los Angeles -- November 28, 2022

If I had all the money in the world, one of my twenty-three hovels would be in Los Angeles. Wow, I have great memories of southern California. I really would enjoy living there ... if I had all the money in the world. But I don't. So I live in Texas. If I had less money, I would have to move to Arizona. From The WSJ:


Boyle Heights was one of them (memories). I trained at the LA County hospital. This is absolutely fascinating. 

Nineteen floors. The cement walls were said to be ten-feet thick. The thirteenth floor the "prison unit."

From The LA Times today:

Not behind a paywall, link here, and from what I can tell, a better story than the LA Times story. 


I assume we're talking about the same building here, but I could be wrong. I may have to take a road trip.

If we're talking about the same building, this is where I met my wife-to-be. To be 100% accurate, we actually met in the psych unit attached to this behemoth. 

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Brandy

For eggnog.

Can it get any less expensive? Inflation? I'm just not seeing it in the things that really count. LOL.


I assume the eggnog season starts right after Diwali and then proceeds through Thanksgiving, into Cyber December, with the day that will live in infamy, through the season known as Advent, to include Hanukkah, into the "holy day" formerly known as Christmas, through Kwanzaa ("Pat, I would like to buy a vowel"), Festivus (for the rest of us),  and finally auld lang syne.

Now That Thanksgiving Week Is In The Rear-View Mirror, We Can Start Talking About The Next Holiday: Cyber Monday To Be Followed By Cyber December -- November 28, 2022

Talking turkey: for all those folks, including me, who were fixated on the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner this year, we can now move on to more substantive purchases.

First of all, the "free" turkey giveaways seem to be disappearing. But the price per pound is falling faster than used car prices. 

At Target yesterday afternoon -- I had to buy a can of Campbell's tomato bisque soup ($1.79 -- the same can was less than a buck last time I bought tomato soup) -- the top-of-the-line turkeys had dropped from $1.98 / pound to $1.19 / pound. 

To be clear:

  • tomato: $1.26 / can
  • tomato bisque: $1.79 / can
  • I did not know

By the way, is there a difference between Campbell's tomato soup and Campbell's tomato bisque soup? 

But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yes. Now that Thanksgiving is over and turkeys recede into the distant background, we can talk about inflation where it really counts: big-screen televisions. Look at inflation here.


I would get the new 65-inch flat-screen television but it's bigger than our apartment, and, regardless, I can watch my neighbor's favorite shows on his humongous television from my bedroom window.

The new Apple laptop I bought over the weekend was at least $200 and maybe as much as $500 less expensive than the one it replaces and the one I bought in 2020. 

For cyber December ...

Another Useless Metric -- November 28, 2022

We now know why Jeff Bezos, the other day, cautioned Americans about becoming too merry this holiday season formerly known as Christmas. When he was talking about the coming recession, he wasn't talking about the one that everyone else was talking about -- a recession in America. 

Jeff Bezos was talking about his own company's happy holiday e-commerce recession.

Without question, this is the most surprising news since the college football upsets over the weekend: not only is Amazon not #1 any more, it's not even #2. Or #3. 

Amazon placed fourth in eyeball counts on Black Friday. 

Link here.

I think we have to be careful here. 

This survey ranked "number of searches."

Another useless metric.

"Number of sales" would be a better metric.

"e-revenue" would be a better metric.

"Profit" might even be better.

But back to "searches."

All this tells me is that if one is looking for sales at Walmart one is aimlessly moving from page to page (each click is a search) looking for bargains.

On the other hand, most folks who log into Amazon, know specifically what they want to get, click once or twice and have their purchase. [I bought my new Apple laptop on Sunday with two clicks over on Amazon. It arrives tomorrow.]

In fact, I bet a lot of folks who search Walmart (#1), Target (#2), or Kohl's (#3) end up buying what they want at Amazon (#4).

C'mon man. Does anyone really believe Kohl's had more "true" / "productive" searches than Amazon. LOL. I doubt Kohl's is selling many Apple laptops.

The Judge James Boasberg Page -- November 28, 2022

Disclaimer: it's hard to say if anything on this page is still up-to-date. But I do know that in a long note like this there will be content and typographical errors. 

Fitness "clubs": they haven't changed. 

Statues: now that "we're" pretty much done with tearing down Civil War statues, it's time to consider commissioning a Judge Boasberg statue somewhere. 

Or perhaps just using "Boasberg" as the middle name for one's next child (he/him/ his).  Or alternatively, "Boasberga" (she/her/hers).

Gender pronouns in e-mail correspondence, link here.


Also: along with the appropriate pronoun sign-off, consider noting one's preferred "work-from-home attire: falda, vestido, pantalones, burqa, kilt, or au naturel.

Judge Boasberg: tosses Mr Vindman's suit against Trump allies. Link here to Politico.

Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council aide who helped trigger the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, suffered a legal setback Tuesday as a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit in which Vindman accused several top Trump allies of conspiring to violate his civil rights.
U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg said Vindman’s allegations that he was smeared by the former president’s son Donald Trump Jr., adviser and attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Deputy White House Communications Director Julia Hahn and former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino did not give Vindman a legal basis to sue the foursome under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. 

Where have we heard that name before?

DAPL: I've long lost the bubble on "everything" DAPL -- Standing Rock suit; expansion; the "Illinois issue." These are old links but that's all I could find during an exhaustive (all of five minutes) search on the internet in which it seemed there were an enumerable number of articles on the "Illinois issue" as just one example. So, let's begin:

  • Illinois, September 15, 2022: link here. I don't know if that's a news story or an op-ed. Earlier, January 12, 2022, it was reported that an Illinois appellate court had "vacated" the regulatory agency's permit to allow the expansion.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe challenging the operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
With his ruling, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg outlined a path for a future legal challenge to an ongoing environmental review, should the tribe seek to make one.
Boasberg indicated if the tribe plans to challenge the outcome of the study it must do so in the form of a new lawsuit that would be assigned to his court. The judge also left open the possibility of reopening the case should any previous orders he made concerning the pipeline be violated.
Boasberg in May answered lingering issues in the litigation, ruling the pipeline could keep operating. Standing Rock had asked him to issue an injunction forcing the line to stop pumping oil, but he concluded the tribe had failed to demonstrate a “likelihood of irreparable injury” from the line’s continued operation.

Expansion: is the DAPL expansion complete? I'm glad you asked. Yes.

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Speaking of Updates: Sophia

Sophia has ended her dance lessons to devote her life to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Her last dance class was two weeks ago. Later this afternoon she begins a new chapter in her life.  US Judge Boasberg played no role, advisory or otherwise, in her decision. 

She will continue with gymnastics and is signed up for soccer in the spring.

An Enumerable Number Of Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Week -- A Good Day For Biking -- And Even Nicer Tomorrow -- North Texas -- Cyber Monday -- Novembeer 28, 2022

DAPL: I've lost the bubble on this one, but will update readers with what I know. Spoiler alert: it's old news. Very old.

Boasberg: shows up again. LOL. Will explain later.

The Far Side: link here.

Active rigs: 39.

WTI: $74.14. It's a fool's errand to predict the price of oil.

Natural gas: $6.596.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022: 66 for the month, 103 for the quarter, 648 for the year.
38921, conf, CLR, Medicine Hole 3-27HSL,
38843, conf, Slawson, PhatKat Federal 7-18-7TFH,
37947, conf, CLR, Brangus FIU 12-11H1
37946, conf, CLR, Brangus FIU 13-11H,

Monday, November 28, 2022: 62 for the month, 99 for the quarter, 644 for the year.
38920, conf, CLR, Medicine Hole 4-27H1,
38861, conf, Petro-Hunt, Setterlund 159-94-34C-27-3H,
38842, conf, Slawson, PhatKat Federal 6-18-7TFH,
38729, conf, Kraken, Raymond LW 16-21 12H,
38172, conf, CLR, LCU Foster Federal 9-28H,
37948, conf, CLR, Brangus FIU 11-11H,

Sunday, November 27, 2022: 56 for the month, 93 for the quarter, 638 for the year.
38919, conf, CLR, Medicine Hole 5-27H,
38860, conf, Petro-Hunt, Setterlund 159-94-34D-27-3H,
38730, conf, Kraken, Fairbanks 17-20 6H,
38171, conf, CLR, LCU Foster Federal 8-28H1,
37949, conf, CLR, Brangus FIU 10-11H,

Saturday, November 26, 2022: 51 for the month, 88 for the quarter, 633 for the year.
38859, conf, Petro-Hunt, Setterland 159-94-34C-27-2H,
38779, conf, CLR, Medicine Hole 6-27H,
38775, conf, Hunt, Palermo 156-90-6-34H 3,
37951, conf, CLR, Brangus Federal 8-11H,
37950, conf, CLR, Brangus Federal 9-11H1

RBN Energy: British Columbia's Montney gas well performance continues to soar, part 5. The Montney is tracked here. Archived.

Despite many challenges, natural gas production in Western Canada has been hitting record highs this year, powered by what seems to be the inexhaustible energy of the unconventional Montney formation. This immense resource remains the primary focus of most Canadian gas producers, and those that operate in the British Columbia portion of the Montney know they have their work cut out for them in the next few years if they are to meet the growing need for gas, especially when the LNG Canada export terminal comes online mid-decade. In today’s RBN blog, we update the Montney’s production and productivity trends in British Columbia and evaluate whether enough progress is being made.