When it comes to shopping in Memphis, you perform risk analysis and weigh the benefit-cost ratio. It's Mad Max out there. Now, as I weighed my options, nearly getting ran off the road as I did, but fortunately, there was once a time I was a heavy gamer, I considered if I should try out the Harbor Freight's Memphis location. In the Berclair area, it is on Summer Ave. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure it was the old strip mall of Piggly Wiggly; in '95, it's where I delivered milk one time in my 1979 Ford F-250 Ranger XLT.

Conversely, I could head out to pristine Lakeland, at a location next to Kroger Stonebridge...well, Kroger Stonebridge back in '94, a place I applied to a job to sack groceries...and was denied. These days, that Kroger leaped across the street and a Sprouts sprouted up. I'd imagine the employment threshold likely has dropped considerably since then.

There was a time that part of the county was nice. May I wager the use of posh, even? I used to go to Great Oaks Church of Christ that was held in a barn in the middle of Davies Plantation Neighborhood—today; today, it is called: Hillwood at Davies Manor, whatever that is. Meh, it was just the place where as a teenager, I could receive and slam-sort metal chairs faster than those old 40-year-olds could queue and give 'em to me and have my freshly 16-year-old heart broken by a 15-year-old blonde.

So, the area was familiar to me...many, many days were spent down Hwy 64 to my parents' print shop over in Somerville. And today? It totally felt like Hickory Hill circa 2002 (I do miss my CompUSA). I got the distinct feeling I was being watched. But, hey, who wants to mess with this grizzled, old man that knows how to carry himself coming out of a tool store? You just might get a 36-inch pipe wrench upside your head if ya did 'cause, I'm your Huckleberry.

But, no, there was not a pipe wrench in my bag that day—why do I need that—YET? Instead, it was as if I swiped bags off of Santa's sleigh just for me! And, I drove away as I hit a pothole in the street, driving all the way down Stage Road before taking a left turn onto Covington Park, seeing everything I once saw, reliving my Fields of Gold video.

My Hercules Cordless Drill

• 20v Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver - Tool Only ($70)
• 20v/12v 4a Single Port Charger ($40)
• 20v Hercules 2.5ah Batter ($40)

This is my first Hercules tool and it's made a solid, first impression with me as I adopt the Hercules line of products—hence, the initial cost of the battery/charger; I'll be picking up the 5 ah in the future. They stack up the drill against the Milwaulkee tool that is $100+ more. (link). I look forward to running it through its paces to see if it can beat out my old DeWalt.

Consumables

• Mask - Dust And Particle 5pc (3x) ($0.87)
• 7 Mil Nitrile Gloves 50pc ($10)
• Foam Disposable Ear Plugs 50pc ($5)

Moving-Related

• Ties-11in White 100pk ($2)
• Indoor Led Light Bulb 2pk (2x) ($3)
• 1/4in X 100ft Poly Rope ($4)
• 10in Hook/Loop Cable Ties ($6)

Misc

• 6in Magnetic Parts Holder ($4)
• 6ft USB To Micro USB Pro ($7.50)

Woodworkers

Among the recent YouTube woodworkers I've enjoyed, the author of this video, What's the Best Wood Joint || Insanely Strong Joinery! has been delightful at 1.25x speed. That's not exactly the most definitive video on the topic as further trials are required, but Future Me is gonna have to call miter joints off the bench.

Another woodworker is out of Monticello, Arkansas. Sure, his content is informative, but I was amused with his road trip with his wife in Where To Buy Wood For Woodworking Projects Local and Online.

And with yet another woodworker, if Lady Gaga never went the glam route and chose instead to be creatively industrious, she might of had Tamar's YouTube channel.

Fitness

Soon, I shall be concentrating on a return to fitness. Oh, it is not about weightloss; I'm excelling there. Rather, I am more interested in the possibilities. I atrophied in Memphis. It explains the leg injury in August 2022, one in which my knee remains to this day a little swollen and tight. I came to Memphis two years ago high-flying. Somewhere, I crashed to the Earth. In my move away from the country, I had left behind a dumbbell set, an elliptical, a treadmill, a vertical climber, a heavy bag, a speed bag, a pull-up/dip station, a couple of benches, an exercise ball, and a curl bar—there was even a Bowflex PR1000 that was worthless beyond its use a third bench! That was all mine and I gave it up to be...here.

Yes, I briefly joined the YMCA in Memphis. The pool was great, but outside of a row machine? I took a couple of steps back for my gym space. I spent most of my time in the pool where that asinine mask mandate didn't apply. Having that lane booked in advance contributed further motivation for those mornings. The true value of my time spent there was in its externalities: the daily program, separating that space from the rest of my day and the mental clarity of the drive.

Music

In that move to Memphis, along with my tools and my fitness equipment, I left my music behind. Oh, I was never good. I did it to be absorbed into the music—heck, I got a lot of jollies just out of playing Rocksmith on the PC back in 2013-2014 in Alaska with my electric hooked up via USB. No, it is not a performance thing; it is just being swept up. The resonation feels my soul. Here are a few of my favorite plays:

• Take My Breath Away
• a crescendoing Battlestar Galactica theme
• Eddie Vedder's Guaranteed
• Billy Corgan's Disarm
• Or if I wanted to tune down to drop D, Dave Grohl's Everlong

...and of course, the chorus I have been able to play since I was 22, Paul Simon's Homeward Bound

In time, I'm going back.

Just Food and Stuff

Parks and Recreation: Grain'n Simple Vs Food and Stuff

I am not locked into a daily, dietary habit—well, not beyond a month...OK, for now, I do shape the menu by planning what I will eat for the month ahead, and incidentally, my financial month starts each 22nd (the actual purchase really depends on when the weekend falls). OK, so shove all of that to the side—you do not need to know how the sausage is made! I had a slight diet shift: I am adding beef liver again! I just was in the mood for it.

Thus, yesterday's intake, all values are after cooking, of course:

• Bacon: 2.5 oz
• Coffee: 3 cups
• Bacon Fat: 2 tbsps
• Ground Beef: 3.6 oz
• Ghee: 4.6 oz
• Beef Liver: 2.6 oz

For the day, it hits the mark: 202 grams of fat and 74 grams of protein. It is not a perfect 200/75, but like City Planner Plays says, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." And really, those are just guides. Round numbers! Rarely are things actually cleanly divisible by 25 and only half the time they are by 2.

I cooked a lb of liver in 2 tbsps of bacon, but I never count that—it is not like I lick the skillet after I am done cooking. That cannot be said for the remnant that remained on my plate after I poured the 2 tbsps atop the liver: Man! Something about that liver's juice mixing into those bacon drippings that makes me throw societal convention out of the cave! That plate was TASTY! Let that be a secret between us.

Now as liver has carbs, I do not get stoked by that glucose store. But, it is under 4 for the day. A couple of days ago, I accepted another 4 carbs. That time was: a half can of oysters in water! I have never had it before, so I was unsure what my reaction would be. It reminded me of seaweed snacks meets canned spinach. It was small in size, but it packs a punch. It is a treat.

Inside Track Club

You are now reading the writing of an official Inside Track Club member. Yes, I have joined Harbor Freight. Lemme tell ya, it is an exclusive company I keep! Does Aldi's have a secret Order of the Bologna Society I can join, too? Seriously though, its membership packs more value than that silly Costco/Sam's Club nonsense. With Harbor Freight, I can still shop the store without having a membership, but hey, a cart later with a membership and I can recoup the initial loss and then my year is wide-open.

And yes, these tools from a store aren't necessarily ones you mount on the wall to impress—well, spiders. I do not know about other niches, but with woodworkers, their shops are littered with things on the wall; they're like trophies. Personally, I would like to hide away my organization with a barn door or even make a secret wood panel door in case my shop is broken into. I almost like this guy's shop. I'll heed solutions regarding workflow.

In the past, I have been almost all DeWalt and Craftsman (before Sears sold them). And now...I am about me, or more specifically, the production/results. It is consistent with my not pumping my chest about the logo of my #2 pencil. And frankly, in the past, there have been times out of speed, instead of grabbing my Craftsman wrench to work on something, I used a wrench from an off-brand, emergency stash I used to keep in my Chevy Silverado. What happened? The job got done. There is no magic fairy dust. And there isn't a Sears that I could return my wrench to these days. Harbor Freight has a great return policy.

Beyond the $30 membership for the year, I have not purchased anything yet, but I am making my shopping list. It is way, way, way too easy to go on a shopping spree splurge there. I think the prudent course of action is to consider the project at hand and buy the tools necessary to get the job done.