Got bored. Was wandering around town a bit today. That damn dog showed up and started chasing me down the street.
It bit me in the leg and dragged me down.
I had to shoot it because when I shook it off it came in for another go. I had the 1911 and just shot it, right in the face.
I feel sick, like bad Chinese sick. That was someone's dog I killed. I know I was only defending myself but it was still someone's pet at some point.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Still no idea what to do. Someone alerted me to the fact that I hadn't explained how I dealt with keeping the laptop charged and the satellite modem/phone monster I made supplied with power.
I found a solar panel marketed towards the sheep industry back in the army surplus store after I went and poked around in there for a bit again. It's designed to go to an electric fence and mounted it on the body of a desk lamp so I can adjust it's position in relation to the sun. I took the giant tractor battery out of the back of my old truck, the one I drove before the bombs went off, that'd been sitting in the bed for about two years now and am trickle charging it.
I rewired the connections and have a powerstrip duct taped and connected to the battery and solar panel. I can plug the satellite phone and modem into it, and plug the charger for the laptop in as well to charge it up as needed. It works a lot better than my first attempt which was a mess of hot glue, plastic and wires.
And there you have it. A simple adjustable solar charger for on the go. I'll post plans if I get bored and screw around in paint. And If I find a working camera, that'll be the first thing I take pictures of and upload I guess.
Merry christmas, hope everyone else had a better holiday than me.
I found a solar panel marketed towards the sheep industry back in the army surplus store after I went and poked around in there for a bit again. It's designed to go to an electric fence and mounted it on the body of a desk lamp so I can adjust it's position in relation to the sun. I took the giant tractor battery out of the back of my old truck, the one I drove before the bombs went off, that'd been sitting in the bed for about two years now and am trickle charging it.
I rewired the connections and have a powerstrip duct taped and connected to the battery and solar panel. I can plug the satellite phone and modem into it, and plug the charger for the laptop in as well to charge it up as needed. It works a lot better than my first attempt which was a mess of hot glue, plastic and wires.
And there you have it. A simple adjustable solar charger for on the go. I'll post plans if I get bored and screw around in paint. And If I find a working camera, that'll be the first thing I take pictures of and upload I guess.
Merry christmas, hope everyone else had a better holiday than me.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
My mom came out to meet me. We talked, she explained why she argued against my being allowed in. The logic's solid so I can't really complain. My dad would have come out to talk with me too but he's already getting into arguments with the other ranchers on how to take care of the silly amount of cattle Coalinga now has.
anyway care package aqcuired, contents are
Weatherby Vanguard rifle in 5.56/.223 + 500 rounds of ammunition
Weatherby SA-12 shotgun + 250 rounds of birdshot + the bucket of oddball modded loads I made a few years ago for my brothers. I'll need to sort out the confetti rounds.
A few pounds of powder and an assorted number of primers
It hit me later that I'm an idiot and there's a bunch of reloading supplies back at my apartment. I guess my mind didn't make the connection the first time I saw them probably a month ago?
I also got a couple canteens and notes from people that want me to act as mailman for them.
Really..it kinda pisses me off that these people don't want me in the community and turn around and want me to deliver their mail. Not sure what I'll do.. Might use them for fire tinder or something, or deliver the notes.. not going to be the freakin mailman forever though.
anyway care package aqcuired, contents are
Weatherby Vanguard rifle in 5.56/.223 + 500 rounds of ammunition
Weatherby SA-12 shotgun + 250 rounds of birdshot + the bucket of oddball modded loads I made a few years ago for my brothers. I'll need to sort out the confetti rounds.
A few pounds of powder and an assorted number of primers
It hit me later that I'm an idiot and there's a bunch of reloading supplies back at my apartment. I guess my mind didn't make the connection the first time I saw them probably a month ago?
I also got a couple canteens and notes from people that want me to act as mailman for them.
Really..it kinda pisses me off that these people don't want me in the community and turn around and want me to deliver their mail. Not sure what I'll do.. Might use them for fire tinder or something, or deliver the notes.. not going to be the freakin mailman forever though.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
News is, in short. they aren't going to let me in.
In the long it's got to do with their concept of letting outsiders in. Right now they know they can sustain the population until law and order has resumed. Sounds like my own mother argued against letting me in on the grounds that she didn't want to deal with some of the other kids that were outside the valley when it all happened.
Anyway sticking around here till tomorrow, the mayor came out to deliver the news and said something about some of the people in town organizing a small care package for me.
Got the radio working now, can hear Auberry radio, and a couple other stations, one of them obviously U.S. military giving out directions to survivors..... It gives people hope I guess.
It's outright snowing now and getting colder. Odd since Coalinga's always been a bit under the snowline in even the coldest winters, and when it did snow it was more like sleet, but this is undeniably snow.
In the long it's got to do with their concept of letting outsiders in. Right now they know they can sustain the population until law and order has resumed. Sounds like my own mother argued against letting me in on the grounds that she didn't want to deal with some of the other kids that were outside the valley when it all happened.
Anyway sticking around here till tomorrow, the mayor came out to deliver the news and said something about some of the people in town organizing a small care package for me.
Got the radio working now, can hear Auberry radio, and a couple other stations, one of them obviously U.S. military giving out directions to survivors..... It gives people hope I guess.
It's outright snowing now and getting colder. Odd since Coalinga's always been a bit under the snowline in even the coldest winters, and when it did snow it was more like sleet, but this is undeniably snow.
Monday, December 17, 2012
And the rain's now turned to snowy slush and temperature's dropping fast.
Someone from town rode up on a horse. Climbed up on the gate, saw me, I waved and they went off on one of the gate guys. Sounded angry, couldn't really hear too well , I was a bit of a distance from the gate following a rabbit.
After a while he came out to greet me. Turns out he was one of my classmates when I went through high school and he apologized and explained the situation.
As soon as they knew it was actually happening and saw the flashpoints on the horizon, some of the ranchers started herding all the cattle from Harris Ranch across the highway overpass and into the valley, and a public meeting was held, and it was decided that they wouldn't let any outsiders in until some form of larger government had been re-established.
He's going to go back and bring my appearance up at the town council meeting tomorrow night. There's a lot of people like me, away at work or at college with Coalinga as their home, that were outside when they made that decision, and I'm probably not the only one that made it through.
Spent the rest of the morning messing with the radio on the jeep to see if I could get it working again. No dice so far.
Someone from town rode up on a horse. Climbed up on the gate, saw me, I waved and they went off on one of the gate guys. Sounded angry, couldn't really hear too well , I was a bit of a distance from the gate following a rabbit.
After a while he came out to greet me. Turns out he was one of my classmates when I went through high school and he apologized and explained the situation.
As soon as they knew it was actually happening and saw the flashpoints on the horizon, some of the ranchers started herding all the cattle from Harris Ranch across the highway overpass and into the valley, and a public meeting was held, and it was decided that they wouldn't let any outsiders in until some form of larger government had been re-established.
He's going to go back and bring my appearance up at the town council meeting tomorrow night. There's a lot of people like me, away at work or at college with Coalinga as their home, that were outside when they made that decision, and I'm probably not the only one that made it through.
Spent the rest of the morning messing with the radio on the jeep to see if I could get it working again. No dice so far.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Well that was a "warm" reception to my home town.
"Warm" as in met with a shotgun at a steel barricade across one of the two roads into the valley. Kinda waiting out here in the jeep for a while till someone confirms I am from Coalinga....
Well besides that it was an interesting trip across the valley. I think it was a good idea of mine to strap a Geiger counter outside on the hood and have one inside sitting on the dash.
Can see a ton of smoke to the north from Fresno...I'm worried that they might've been hit directly and the town's still burning.
Passed on a note to an officer in Parlier who flagged me down when he saw I had a running vehicle, said something about the local gangs being more cooperative now that the world had ended.
Selma was a ghost-town didn't see anyone there.
Hanford was the same as Selma, though Hanford was the site of one of those Higher capacity Bunkers like in Los Angeles and Bakersfield. I might come back through and see if I can find the entrance there and see if they have anything they want the outside world to know.
Leemoore was relatively safe, though most anything electronic there was fried. Kinda hot with radiation though, but some of the people there said it had been an airburst and the NAS base had been hit with conventional weapons after the nuke went off. The navy's more of less got Leemoore handle'd pretty well.
I did mention their fire crew was present and accounted for, and the serviceman I spoke to said he'd forward it up the chain of command.
Anyway back to Coalinga.
Managed to bypass the I-5 on an old overpass, and a bunch of twisting roads till I got into the foothills. A bit past an area called "stinky Hollow" I hit the roadblock.. well it was more of a wall in one of the roadbed cuts. The guy there called me an outsider and to "git the hell gone"
ave him my address..
....Waiting patiently in the hopes someone who recognizes my name hears about me.. gave them my address and my family is kinda known in town. He did say he was impressed an outsider knew all the big names in town but he wasn't convinced and the other people at the gate were CO's that I didn't recognize.
Oh well. All I can do is browse the internet and twiddle my thumbs until someone lets me in.
"Warm" as in met with a shotgun at a steel barricade across one of the two roads into the valley. Kinda waiting out here in the jeep for a while till someone confirms I am from Coalinga....
Well besides that it was an interesting trip across the valley. I think it was a good idea of mine to strap a Geiger counter outside on the hood and have one inside sitting on the dash.
Can see a ton of smoke to the north from Fresno...I'm worried that they might've been hit directly and the town's still burning.
Passed on a note to an officer in Parlier who flagged me down when he saw I had a running vehicle, said something about the local gangs being more cooperative now that the world had ended.
Selma was a ghost-town didn't see anyone there.
Hanford was the same as Selma, though Hanford was the site of one of those Higher capacity Bunkers like in Los Angeles and Bakersfield. I might come back through and see if I can find the entrance there and see if they have anything they want the outside world to know.
Leemoore was relatively safe, though most anything electronic there was fried. Kinda hot with radiation though, but some of the people there said it had been an airburst and the NAS base had been hit with conventional weapons after the nuke went off. The navy's more of less got Leemoore handle'd pretty well.
I did mention their fire crew was present and accounted for, and the serviceman I spoke to said he'd forward it up the chain of command.
Anyway back to Coalinga.
Managed to bypass the I-5 on an old overpass, and a bunch of twisting roads till I got into the foothills. A bit past an area called "stinky Hollow" I hit the roadblock.. well it was more of a wall in one of the roadbed cuts. The guy there called me an outsider and to "git the hell gone"
ave him my address..
....Waiting patiently in the hopes someone who recognizes my name hears about me.. gave them my address and my family is kinda known in town. He did say he was impressed an outsider knew all the big names in town but he wasn't convinced and the other people at the gate were CO's that I didn't recognize.
Oh well. All I can do is browse the internet and twiddle my thumbs until someone lets me in.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
It's been a while since I last posted. got wrapped up in some stuff Sunday and I ended up driving around part of the central valley as a courier.
On Sunday I was woken up by knocking on the door. The local PD finally came out of the woodwork and are attempting to restore law and order. One of the officers was walking around this part of town checking every house and apartment for people still in town. All in all there's about thirty people that didn't leave when the sirens went off here. Because I had a working vehicle and it would take a bit to get another one operating, I was asked to shuttle one of the officers over to Orange Cove, Dinuba, Orosi and cutler to transfer messages back and forth. So that ate up Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Though I got to get in contact with a couple of my friends from the college who had come back into their respective towns, they had holed up with their families in the strip mine/bunker up top of Jessie Morrow Mountain.
Today I got to rest a little because the police, in combination with a couple of rednecks and an old mechanic in Orosi got an older army Deuce and a half running and are using that now. It's burning a lot of oil and I hope they find something better.
Tomorrow I'm going to try and go across to Coalinga, though it has been asked of me that I attempt delivery of messages to the various police departments across the valley between here and there.
I'll attempt it, though no promises.
On Sunday I was woken up by knocking on the door. The local PD finally came out of the woodwork and are attempting to restore law and order. One of the officers was walking around this part of town checking every house and apartment for people still in town. All in all there's about thirty people that didn't leave when the sirens went off here. Because I had a working vehicle and it would take a bit to get another one operating, I was asked to shuttle one of the officers over to Orange Cove, Dinuba, Orosi and cutler to transfer messages back and forth. So that ate up Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Though I got to get in contact with a couple of my friends from the college who had come back into their respective towns, they had holed up with their families in the strip mine/bunker up top of Jessie Morrow Mountain.
Today I got to rest a little because the police, in combination with a couple of rednecks and an old mechanic in Orosi got an older army Deuce and a half running and are using that now. It's burning a lot of oil and I hope they find something better.
Tomorrow I'm going to try and go across to Coalinga, though it has been asked of me that I attempt delivery of messages to the various police departments across the valley between here and there.
I'll attempt it, though no promises.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Author's note: part of the lull between posts has been due to things going on in my life, prepping for finals and medical issues in the family. However another part is I've been attempting to contact a few government institutions for what the N.B.C. response would be to something like an attack of this magnitude.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've seen a few more signs of humans poking around out there around town, however I haven't seen anyone, just evidence. My project with the solar lights didn't work out like I'd hoped, shorted out mess of electronics is what happened, but the satellite modem is working, so I'll have internet on the go to keep people updated.
I'll give the solar project another go. I think I learned a good bit out of it, so with any luck I'll have a steady supply of power to keep the laptop and bag phone charged without having to run the jeep all the time.
That dog's still stalking me when I go out. I looked up the breed, and it looks like an angry bulldog and a German shepherd had puppies....I wish I'd paid more attention when my mom dragged me to some of those dog shows when I was a kid.
Not much else to say.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've seen a few more signs of humans poking around out there around town, however I haven't seen anyone, just evidence. My project with the solar lights didn't work out like I'd hoped, shorted out mess of electronics is what happened, but the satellite modem is working, so I'll have internet on the go to keep people updated.
I'll give the solar project another go. I think I learned a good bit out of it, so with any luck I'll have a steady supply of power to keep the laptop and bag phone charged without having to run the jeep all the time.
That dog's still stalking me when I go out. I looked up the breed, and it looks like an angry bulldog and a German shepherd had puppies....I wish I'd paid more attention when my mom dragged me to some of those dog shows when I was a kid.
Not much else to say.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
For the last couple of days I've found myself at odds with myself.
I have access to all this stuff. MRE's rope, camping gear, all at the military surplus shop, and yet due to what I learned in scouting I know I don't need it, so I've been trying to decide what to take with me and what not to take with me when I make the drive over.
I'm probably going to make a small pack that I can take with me in case I have to abandon the jeep, but I'm going to also take a good amount of supplies with me\ so that way I do have things I can use but don't necessarily need.
Yesterday I think I saw signs of someone else out there, but I'm not sure. It might've been that dog from before.
I've had very little luck with my idea regarding the solar lights.
Other than that not much to talk about.
I have access to all this stuff. MRE's rope, camping gear, all at the military surplus shop, and yet due to what I learned in scouting I know I don't need it, so I've been trying to decide what to take with me and what not to take with me when I make the drive over.
I'm probably going to make a small pack that I can take with me in case I have to abandon the jeep, but I'm going to also take a good amount of supplies with me\ so that way I do have things I can use but don't necessarily need.
Yesterday I think I saw signs of someone else out there, but I'm not sure. It might've been that dog from before.
I've had very little luck with my idea regarding the solar lights.
Other than that not much to talk about.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
It's been dumping a lot of rain since I last posted. Heavy heavy storm. Power flicked off and on a bit. I spent it all inside working on the longcoat I talked about. Well it's a waterproofed long vest with a hood now. I haven't made sleeves, and I haven't looked for a set of sleeves to put on it yet.
I haven't tested the waterproofing yet though.
Took a break and spent a few hours looking up news regarding my hometown. It looks like a couple weeks before everything went to hell there was a big bundle of documents declassified regarding my hometown in response to an ongoing lawsuit against the E.P.A. due to birth defects in a city near my hometown. They were detailing experiments done in and around the area.
They were still heavily censored but my hometown was mentioned, as well as the two surrounding cities. Apparently some kind of experiment with the drinking water, my hometown and the other were used as the test cases, since they both had prisons with stable populations that were easily monitored. The third one, which was in the central valley itself was the control group more or less.
The experiments lasted from 1986 to 1995 and the results were inconclusive.
Didn't even say what they were looking for, but there wasn't really a spike of any abnormalities.
There's a lot more to the story but in short: Coalinga [Test Group A], Avenal [Text Group B] and Lake Huron [control group]. It was also repeatedly stated that the in and around area around Kettleman City hasn't seen any testing secretly sanctioned by the U.S. government since the 1950's.
Wonder if I can find a non redacted version to find out what was being tested for in the late 80s early 90s.
Whelp other than that not much happened, well part of the carport flew away, but that's about it.
I haven't tested the waterproofing yet though.
Took a break and spent a few hours looking up news regarding my hometown. It looks like a couple weeks before everything went to hell there was a big bundle of documents declassified regarding my hometown in response to an ongoing lawsuit against the E.P.A. due to birth defects in a city near my hometown. They were detailing experiments done in and around the area.
They were still heavily censored but my hometown was mentioned, as well as the two surrounding cities. Apparently some kind of experiment with the drinking water, my hometown and the other were used as the test cases, since they both had prisons with stable populations that were easily monitored. The third one, which was in the central valley itself was the control group more or less.
The experiments lasted from 1986 to 1995 and the results were inconclusive.
Didn't even say what they were looking for, but there wasn't really a spike of any abnormalities.
There's a lot more to the story but in short: Coalinga [Test Group A], Avenal [Text Group B] and Lake Huron [control group]. It was also repeatedly stated that the in and around area around Kettleman City hasn't seen any testing secretly sanctioned by the U.S. government since the 1950's.
Wonder if I can find a non redacted version to find out what was being tested for in the late 80s early 90s.
Whelp other than that not much happened, well part of the carport flew away, but that's about it.
Friday, November 30, 2012
So I spent most of the last two days messing around with the jeep. I found a note in it too, above the sunvisor.
"Heard the sirens, didn't believe till we saw a mushroom cloud to the south so we're leaving with the Mennonites for the national park, can't get the jeep to start back up anyway.
Jill and Jimmy"
So anyway, I learned that it runs on diesel, or any reasonable substitute for that, dunno why I thought it ran on just oil, dad was talking about bio diesel and using it at the farm a couple months ago I guess I just sorta forgot with the apocolypse and all. It took me five tries to figure out how to push start it, I'm really glad the road wasn't filled with cars, I guess things were pretty quiet when it all started. I then started figuring out what exactly was wrong with it out front of the napa store.
Put a new alternator and starter on it, battery still has a charge and the amperage is where it should be, I also replaced the inline fuel pump, after a bit of work I got the ignition to work.
The electrical harness is shorted out, the good thing is the engine is an older cummins and doesn't have electronic fuel injection, not to mention is no more complicated than the tractors I worked on at my dad's farm.
I grabbed a spool of electrical cable an electricians kit that has cutters, strippers and fuses and a few other odds and ends and used the old harness as a template. The new one works and the jeep fires up easily enough.
I'm not sure why but I think it's going to rain tomorrow.
I keep seeing that dog occasionally. I think it's stalking me.
"Heard the sirens, didn't believe till we saw a mushroom cloud to the south so we're leaving with the Mennonites for the national park, can't get the jeep to start back up anyway.
Jill and Jimmy"
So anyway, I learned that it runs on diesel, or any reasonable substitute for that, dunno why I thought it ran on just oil, dad was talking about bio diesel and using it at the farm a couple months ago I guess I just sorta forgot with the apocolypse and all. It took me five tries to figure out how to push start it, I'm really glad the road wasn't filled with cars, I guess things were pretty quiet when it all started. I then started figuring out what exactly was wrong with it out front of the napa store.
Put a new alternator and starter on it, battery still has a charge and the amperage is where it should be, I also replaced the inline fuel pump, after a bit of work I got the ignition to work.
The electrical harness is shorted out, the good thing is the engine is an older cummins and doesn't have electronic fuel injection, not to mention is no more complicated than the tractors I worked on at my dad's farm.
I grabbed a spool of electrical cable an electricians kit that has cutters, strippers and fuses and a few other odds and ends and used the old harness as a template. The new one works and the jeep fires up easily enough.
I'm not sure why but I think it's going to rain tomorrow.
I keep seeing that dog occasionally. I think it's stalking me.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
I've been thinking about it more and more, and I'm going to see if I can make it across the valley to my hometown. I know that my hometown was full of people ready for something like this, between the correctional officers and the ranchers, and some of the hillfolk I know, as long as it wasn't hit directly that it should be safe, but I need to make sure.
I did some more scouting today and I think I found a prospective vehicle to use. It's a stick shift jeep, 4 door and a rag top rather than a hard top and it looks like someone converted it to run on vegetable oil because it has a "I run clean on french fry oil" sticker on the bumper. I found the keys under the front seat. I'm going to keep an eye on it for now. It also has a couple "I Heart Hemp" stickers.... I didn't know we had hippies here. I'll see if I can get it running tomorrow and I'll also see if I can get something setup for a mobile web hotspot. I've got a couple leads on what to do thatnks to some how tos I found on the internet, but I'll need to find a satellite bag phone and a few other things. Like what my dad used in the 90s after we stopped using the radios and the base station.
I did see some of those solar lawn lights, and it looks like they're still working, so I might be able to get some of those from the hardware store and use them for something. I'll need a sauntering iron though, but it shouldn't be too hard to find that.
Picked up that Chinese radio signal again for a few minutes but it faded out before I could write the phonetics down.
So tomorrow, unless the weather gets bad I plan to go looking for stuff to build something silly, like a solar powered satellite modem. If the weather sucks, I'll look at news stories regarding my hometown. Time to sleep I guess.
I did some more scouting today and I think I found a prospective vehicle to use. It's a stick shift jeep, 4 door and a rag top rather than a hard top and it looks like someone converted it to run on vegetable oil because it has a "I run clean on french fry oil" sticker on the bumper. I found the keys under the front seat. I'm going to keep an eye on it for now. It also has a couple "I Heart Hemp" stickers.... I didn't know we had hippies here. I'll see if I can get it running tomorrow and I'll also see if I can get something setup for a mobile web hotspot. I've got a couple leads on what to do thatnks to some how tos I found on the internet, but I'll need to find a satellite bag phone and a few other things. Like what my dad used in the 90s after we stopped using the radios and the base station.
I did see some of those solar lawn lights, and it looks like they're still working, so I might be able to get some of those from the hardware store and use them for something. I'll need a sauntering iron though, but it shouldn't be too hard to find that.
Picked up that Chinese radio signal again for a few minutes but it faded out before I could write the phonetics down.
So tomorrow, unless the weather gets bad I plan to go looking for stuff to build something silly, like a solar powered satellite modem. If the weather sucks, I'll look at news stories regarding my hometown. Time to sleep I guess.
Monday, November 26, 2012
So I spent today in longsleeves wandering around town, well the one became sort of half longsleeved half short sleeved.. more on that down below.
Still a ghost town to my best knowledge, but I found signs of life. A couple of the Mennonite churches, the signs out front said "Congregation in King's Canyon Park" so I'm assuming that's where all the Mennonites went to ride out the apocalypse.
I spent most of today looking around for and older model car or truck, something I can push start. No luck so far, all I've seen are newer ones that are dead. Tried hotwiring one, not even a spark.
Got chased by a dog today and it god hold of my arm. took part of my shirt off with it, just the sleeve. Scraped the skin but didn't get a good hold. I ran all the way back to the apartment after that. I think I'm going to take one of the pistols with me from now on because I saw it around some but didn't really think till it was running at me.
Going to get some more sleep. Been scanning radio channels. Picked something up in Chinese around 103.9 fm for a bit before it faded to static.
Still a ghost town to my best knowledge, but I found signs of life. A couple of the Mennonite churches, the signs out front said "Congregation in King's Canyon Park" so I'm assuming that's where all the Mennonites went to ride out the apocalypse.
I spent most of today looking around for and older model car or truck, something I can push start. No luck so far, all I've seen are newer ones that are dead. Tried hotwiring one, not even a spark.
Got chased by a dog today and it god hold of my arm. took part of my shirt off with it, just the sleeve. Scraped the skin but didn't get a good hold. I ran all the way back to the apartment after that. I think I'm going to take one of the pistols with me from now on because I saw it around some but didn't really think till it was running at me.
Going to get some more sleep. Been scanning radio channels. Picked something up in Chinese around 103.9 fm for a bit before it faded to static.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
I think the fever broke mid-afternoon.. I'm not sure, cause I spent most of today asleep. I don't evene remember yesterday. Everything aches, and the noise of..well nothing is so annoying..I mean nothing. No engines, no people no background noise of the city. I don't even hear any animals. that's what's worrying me the most. This close to the mountains I should hear something, birds even. I don't know how long it's been quiet. Maybe it's always been quiet and I never noticed. Aside from the radio, though I haven't had that on lately.
Kinda cold, but I'm tolerating it a bit better. I still have a bit of a cough but it's not bad. the food in the fridge went bad, I think there was another power outage, or maybe the milk soured and everything else soured with it.
Turned the radio on in time for an announcement. The Secretary of the Interior is still alive. Some person by the name of Glauchester, so until things get sorted out I think he's actually president. I think I remember something in the news about him going to inspect the work being done on one of the forest fires up in the Sierra Nevada's.
Gonna go back to sleep now.Maybe I'll have less aches in the morning.
Kinda cold, but I'm tolerating it a bit better. I still have a bit of a cough but it's not bad. the food in the fridge went bad, I think there was another power outage, or maybe the milk soured and everything else soured with it.
Turned the radio on in time for an announcement. The Secretary of the Interior is still alive. Some person by the name of Glauchester, so until things get sorted out I think he's actually president. I think I remember something in the news about him going to inspect the work being done on one of the forest fires up in the Sierra Nevada's.
Gonna go back to sleep now.Maybe I'll have less aches in the morning.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Been feeling a little under the weather, so I made a a run out to the Rite aid to get some cold meds.
It looks like someone was driving by when it all happened and their car went through the front wall of the store. I didn't see a body and the power was off. Got some dayquil and nyquil.. I think it's just a cold or something. Dosimeter says I haven't been exposed to enough radiation to be poisoned that way. so it's either a cold or something I ate.
Coughing a little too. Going to curl up under a blanket and sleep.
It looks like someone was driving by when it all happened and their car went through the front wall of the store. I didn't see a body and the power was off. Got some dayquil and nyquil.. I think it's just a cold or something. Dosimeter says I haven't been exposed to enough radiation to be poisoned that way. so it's either a cold or something I ate.
Coughing a little too. Going to curl up under a blanket and sleep.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Finally got a chance to go outside and smell "fresh" air.
The radiation levels have dropped a lot, but so has the temperature too. My computer says that it's Saturday the 17th now.
The radiation levels have dropped a lot, but so has the temperature too. My computer says that it's Saturday the 17th now.
I think the town is for the most part abandoned, I didn't see or hear anything while I was out.
So anyway, it was mostly constant rain since Tuesday so I didn't get a chance to go outside till yesterday, and even then it was wander a bit, find cover from the rain, wander a bit find cover from the rain. I got to the surplus store and found a nice vest with a hood, and some waterproofing materials. I think I might stop by the fabric store and see if I can take a shot at making it into something like a longcoat or something.
So anyway, it was mostly constant rain since Tuesday so I didn't get a chance to go outside till yesterday, and even then it was wander a bit, find cover from the rain, wander a bit find cover from the rain. I got to the surplus store and found a nice vest with a hood, and some waterproofing materials. I think I might stop by the fabric store and see if I can take a shot at making it into something like a longcoat or something.
Anyway, my haul from the surplus store, based off what I've been reading in the survival guides:
Black Canvas Mossad style duffle bag
Thirty MREs mixed, didn't really take note of what I got. I've found that with how little activity I've had lately one of them can last me a day and a half or a bit more before I get hungry again.
Two tins of Snow Seal waterproofing sealant (need to get a hair dryer)
Two long knives.
A pair of 8 inch high top boots, walked out in them cause my sneakers were soaked.
14 pairs of hiking socks
A small parachute
two hundred feet of parachute cord
A military guide to reading maps
A first aid kit
and a hatchet.
I didn't have any money on me but I left an IOU note at the counter for if the owner comes back.
When I got back I thought about it some and realized I probably should have taken one of the pistols with me in case I'd run into a pissed off dog or something. I guess I got lucky.
Well I'm going to get a drink of water now then go get some more sleep. If it clears up enough to go outside again tomorrow, well today. I'm going to go to the hardware store. I've got a couple ideas that I want to check out. you know those solar lights that people were putting in their gardens and everything? I saw some working in one of the yards I passed. I think I might be able to do something with them.
Well I'm going to get a drink of water now then go get some more sleep. If it clears up enough to go outside again tomorrow, well today. I'm going to go to the hardware store. I've got a couple ideas that I want to check out. you know those solar lights that people were putting in their gardens and everything? I saw some working in one of the yards I passed. I think I might be able to do something with them.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
So the rain let up for a bit and I took a chance today.
Made tracks down the road to one of the orchards nearby, probably looked like an idiot, stopping every five or ten feet to take a reading on my Geiger counter. Got to the orange orchard not far from "the roundabout from hell" as I like to call it cause most people in this town had no sense of what to do at a yield sign...Ever.
Saw a couple cars just abandoned in the middle of the road, and I didn't see anyone else.
It's still getting colder, but I don't mind as much...I think. Kind of sleeping a lot lately to I guess keep my mind of things.
Oranges are good. Probably the best crop I've seen in a while, sweet and juicy with no frost bite damages. that or I just got lucky with picking out which ones to take.
If this rain ever lets up I'm going to head into town.
My plan is to go to the army surplus store, the grocery store, and then one of the thrift stores with any luck I'd find some more food, cold weather clothing and some random odds and ends that I can use. I've got a silly idea that might work. I blame watching a ton of MacGyver as a kid.
Made tracks down the road to one of the orchards nearby, probably looked like an idiot, stopping every five or ten feet to take a reading on my Geiger counter. Got to the orange orchard not far from "the roundabout from hell" as I like to call it cause most people in this town had no sense of what to do at a yield sign...Ever.
Saw a couple cars just abandoned in the middle of the road, and I didn't see anyone else.
It's still getting colder, but I don't mind as much...I think. Kind of sleeping a lot lately to I guess keep my mind of things.
Oranges are good. Probably the best crop I've seen in a while, sweet and juicy with no frost bite damages. that or I just got lucky with picking out which ones to take.
If this rain ever lets up I'm going to head into town.
My plan is to go to the army surplus store, the grocery store, and then one of the thrift stores with any luck I'd find some more food, cold weather clothing and some random odds and ends that I can use. I've got a silly idea that might work. I blame watching a ton of MacGyver as a kid.
So I was going to go out today, the radiation's dropped down enough that I can go outside for a couple hours, well according to the field manuals in the footlocker, and it's well below the levels civil defense said are safe. But it's raining again.
I've been playing cards, and a lot of cards.
I didn't realize it till my fifth shuffle but I'm missing three cards from my deck.
It's also getting colder. I don't have a thermometer in the apartment, but it's been nippy, and I don't want to risk the air conditioner and blow in a bunch of irradiated air.... well..I don't know if it works that way. If someone sees this and knows does radiation work that way.
Actually I don't even know if the air conditioner even works, or if I should try it. Gas supplies seem to be working for now, the water heater's still running.
I guess for now I'll just keep wearing a jacket.
If you're seeing this and didn't hear, some remnants of the government are coming out of the shelters now, no reports on major stuff, but there's been some fema and national guard announcements that Radio Auberry has patched through. Stuff about keeping calm though. No actual information about the state of the rest of the world.
I also read through a couple more field manuals and found a cache of maps and a compass in a manila envelope, the envelope was labeled "Other Cache Locations".
Here's the rundown of the maps:
There's a U.S. map with a few states marked in red pen and other writing that I have no idea what it means.
A California map with six blue circles, and a red circle, and a green circle around the town I'm in.
And seven maps that I haven't looked at yet. I'll look at them later.
I've been playing cards, and a lot of cards.
I didn't realize it till my fifth shuffle but I'm missing three cards from my deck.
It's also getting colder. I don't have a thermometer in the apartment, but it's been nippy, and I don't want to risk the air conditioner and blow in a bunch of irradiated air.... well..I don't know if it works that way. If someone sees this and knows does radiation work that way.
Actually I don't even know if the air conditioner even works, or if I should try it. Gas supplies seem to be working for now, the water heater's still running.
I guess for now I'll just keep wearing a jacket.
If you're seeing this and didn't hear, some remnants of the government are coming out of the shelters now, no reports on major stuff, but there's been some fema and national guard announcements that Radio Auberry has patched through. Stuff about keeping calm though. No actual information about the state of the rest of the world.
I also read through a couple more field manuals and found a cache of maps and a compass in a manila envelope, the envelope was labeled "Other Cache Locations".
Here's the rundown of the maps:
There's a U.S. map with a few states marked in red pen and other writing that I have no idea what it means.
A California map with six blue circles, and a red circle, and a green circle around the town I'm in.
And seven maps that I haven't looked at yet. I'll look at them later.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
No the universe didn't off me, yet.
Power went out a few days ago. Didn't think it was ever going to come back on.
So the drop in the radiation levels slowed to a crawl, and it's safe to go outside for a little bit at a time, I'm going to give it a couple more days.
I saw a cat wandering around outside yesterday.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it's really "ok" to be outside for more than a couple hours. Should I stay here? Or move off to somewhere else and try to meet up with other people? Most everyone had moved out of the complex I live in before this all went down and I don't think the neighbors were home when it happened. I hope they're ok, and I hope my parents are safe.
Phones are still dead and I've started making a list of stuff to go and get when I can cause some of the stuff went bad while the power was out.
It just dawned on me last week would have been elections. I think the last poll I saw was Johnson/Gingrich up by 25 with Bush/Bush (Jeb and George Jr.) and Davis/Kennedy tied evenly...more or less. I find it interesting that a libertarian and a conservative ticket flipped the election on it's ear, I don't think anyone would have called that, or even bet money on that last year during the primaries.
Happy halloween, elections and with any luck I'll still be around come thanksgiving....I'm dreaming of bright christmass... under the fallout's glow....
Ok even I think that was lame.
Power went out a few days ago. Didn't think it was ever going to come back on.
So the drop in the radiation levels slowed to a crawl, and it's safe to go outside for a little bit at a time, I'm going to give it a couple more days.
I saw a cat wandering around outside yesterday.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it's really "ok" to be outside for more than a couple hours. Should I stay here? Or move off to somewhere else and try to meet up with other people? Most everyone had moved out of the complex I live in before this all went down and I don't think the neighbors were home when it happened. I hope they're ok, and I hope my parents are safe.
Phones are still dead and I've started making a list of stuff to go and get when I can cause some of the stuff went bad while the power was out.
It just dawned on me last week would have been elections. I think the last poll I saw was Johnson/Gingrich up by 25 with Bush/Bush (Jeb and George Jr.) and Davis/Kennedy tied evenly...more or less. I find it interesting that a libertarian and a conservative ticket flipped the election on it's ear, I don't think anyone would have called that, or even bet money on that last year during the primaries.
Happy halloween, elections and with any luck I'll still be around come thanksgiving....I'm dreaming of bright christmass... under the fallout's glow....
Ok even I think that was lame.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Nothing new to report, radiation levels are dropping. Decided to do some math regarding it.If it keeps dropping at about the same level it'll be safe to go outside in two days. Though I won't chance it at 100 rad an hour and wait a couple more days.
There's also a couple army survival manuals in the stuff my room-mate left here.
Been wondering why he left it here. I know he wasn't in the know on anything. Well I don't think he was. did some research on the pistols. The M-45 is more of a custom pistol than a stock one.
Radio Auberry as they're calling themselves now put out a shout out for a fire hand crew that was up in the mountains when it all went down, so if anyone at the Lemoore NAS was out of harms way and can read this, Engine-99 reports all hands safe and accounted for.
Radio Auberry as they're calling themselves now put out a shout out for a fire hand crew that was up in the mountains when it all went down, so if anyone at the Lemoore NAS was out of harms way and can read this, Engine-99 reports all hands safe and accounted for.
Wonder how well my hometown rode things out. It's sort of out of the way and unimportant, the only thing really big nearby was a cattle feed lot. Dad said when I was a kid if anything major happened we could always drive the cattle from the feed lot into the valley and close off the main roads in. only people that "belonged" would be able to make their way in.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Not Dead yet.
Radiation levels have gone down a bit. Still unsafe to go outside.
Been reading the survival books my room-mate made. they're pretty straightforward, basics that most anyone can follow.
"If you absolutely must have a vehicle once the radiation has gone down you have three options.
>Human powered like a bike.
>Newer military vehicles that have been hardened to withstand an EMP
>An older (1980s or older) manual shift vehicle, preferably a diesel of some kind that's small enough that you can push start."
It also has some diagrams, basic vehicle maintenance, electrical components that might need to be changed out. It's pretty cool.
On the awesome side of things, some of the static has cleared up and I can pick of radio from Nevada. Radio Las Vegas to be precise. From what it sounds like, the TDN (Trump Defense Network) that Donald Trump had designed and built as a working concept actually did it's job and saved most of the Las Vegas area.
Wonder how long it'll take for this weather front to bring in a plume of radiation. On the Plus side. Mr. Las Vegas has a way of calming a person down and keeping them from panicking.
It also has some diagrams, basic vehicle maintenance, electrical components that might need to be changed out. It's pretty cool.
On the awesome side of things, some of the static has cleared up and I can pick of radio from Nevada. Radio Las Vegas to be precise. From what it sounds like, the TDN (Trump Defense Network) that Donald Trump had designed and built as a working concept actually did it's job and saved most of the Las Vegas area.
Wonder how long it'll take for this weather front to bring in a plume of radiation. On the Plus side. Mr. Las Vegas has a way of calming a person down and keeping them from panicking.
Saw some new posts on 4chan as well, so it looks like I'm not the only one on the internet anymore, though they were in spanish... so balls to me having any conversations anytime soon. Failed that class in high school.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Today it rained....it's been raining all day since about six. Well I think it was six....Well it was raining at six when I woke up, so I don't know when it started.
I also found out I've been doing the math with the Geiger counter wrong, and the door and north wall are reading at 800 rads a minute. The water is a bit higher than I initially thought but it's still safe to drink.
I checked out my room-mate's room today. Found an army footlocker sitting on his bed with a note on top.
Note reads:
"Congratulations sir or madam, you've won the jackpot, this is a cache of goods and materials that may help you in whatever hell the governments of our world have unleashed. If you're dead or unable to read this, or have evolved or mutated beyond the need for such things please disregard this and move along."
Inside it I found a lot of home-made survival manuals which I'll read through later, but here's a lit of stuff other than those:
Stuff that I recognize:
Two pistols this is what they read on the side as
>1 M-45 MEUSOC pistol
>1 Colt M1991A pistol
6 spare magazines
50 rounds of hollowpoint .45 ACP
50 rounds of solid metal .45 ACP
Ten MREs five breakfast and five dinners (it doesn't say what they, just code numbers, I'll look them up later.)
A second Geiger counter
A second dosimeter
medical kit
six different knifes
a hand axe
100 feet of synthetic rop
A plastic container of gunpowder.
Box of bullets well they're smaller than bullets, the tip I guess?
Stuff I have no clue what it is used for:
A box of a thousand primers
Portable hand press
box of dies? That's what the label says and it's heavy. they're kinda sharp too.
multimeter
a box of tools most of which I've never seen before.
Spent the rest of the day watching the clouds through the window. They have a bit of a glow to them. Feel crazier than usual.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Spent today taking stock of what food and drink I have.
four one liter bottles of water
one five gallon jug of water I'll set these aside in the bedroom for now since the water is still coming out drinkable.
two boxes of frozen waffles
a bag of frozen peas
six pounds of frozen steak
two cans of refried beans
a half gallon of milk, kind of old though
six boxes of mac and cheese
two cans of condense milk
two oranges
three onions
two cans of tomato soup
moldy bread, half a loaf
a bunch of condiments
a box of saltines
an assorted mix of sodas thirty cans total
six things of microwave popcorn
I think I'll check my room-mates room tomorrow since he was at home for some family thing and won't be getting back soon.
Getting bored, started drawing earlier today. I suck at it.
four one liter bottles of water
one five gallon jug of water I'll set these aside in the bedroom for now since the water is still coming out drinkable.
two boxes of frozen waffles
a bag of frozen peas
six pounds of frozen steak
two cans of refried beans
a half gallon of milk, kind of old though
six boxes of mac and cheese
two cans of condense milk
two oranges
three onions
two cans of tomato soup
moldy bread, half a loaf
a bunch of condiments
a box of saltines
an assorted mix of sodas thirty cans total
six things of microwave popcorn
I think I'll check my room-mates room tomorrow since he was at home for some family thing and won't be getting back soon.
Getting bored, started drawing earlier today. I suck at it.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Spent most of today messing around with the electronics in my apartment to see what worked.
What works:
AM/FM radio
TV, I think though all I get is snow.
Laptop
Router
Refrigerator
electric range
Things that I know don't work:
cell phone
digital camera
microwave
air conditioner
printer
landline phone
tower computer
Every now and then I've checked the door and hot wall. If I'm doing the conversion right they're still about 400 to 500 rad an hour. Depending on how close I hold the counter. The dosimeter itself says I've only been exposed to about 80 rads, give or take. The water from the sink comes out to about one rad every ten minute, so for now it's safe to drink. I think I should fill up a bunch of water bottles just to be on the safe side in case the water pipes get irradiated.
So far I haven't seen much activity on the internet, with the exception of spam bots. I was messing around on twitter and I found where a bunch of spam bots had friended themselves and were going on about their 'lives'. It was weird.. like I'd found something I shouldn't have. Maybe they'll become self aware on their own.
Gonna get some sleep now that I've updated this blog. Hope to see some activity in the world other than me.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blog with the Blastwave is an exercise in SciFi writing set in an alternate timeline. Despite what you may want to believe, this is not a real blog. It is a fake blog of the fictitious events that befall the "writer" as he, and the people he meets cope with the fallout of a post nuclear war environment.
Comments are welcome and encouraged.
Without Further ado, the opening post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forgive me, a lot of this is condensed from my journal over two days, quite frankly I'm surprised that the internet still exists, or that I could even connect to it.
Somehow, I managed to sleep through the end of the world, it wasn't my radio cutting to the emergency broadcast tone, or the rattling of the windows from the air-bursts that eventually woke me. It was the cold dead silence of an apartment devoid of electricity, no hum of electronics, no whir of the fridge compressor. That's what woke me up, not the crackle of the atom bomb or the drone of the air raid sirens. Somehow I managed to sleep through the third world war. And how am I typing this up you might ask with no power or internet? Well it's back on. I believe that PG&E sealed a pact with Beelzebub with the intent to provide and charge people for electrical power regardless of the state of affairs of the world. I have no doubt that at the end of the month I'll still get a bill for my power consumption, regardless of how much radiation the postman had to go through. Beyond that, a microwave was also part of my saving grace.
A simple offbrand microwave with a small netbook and router stuffed inside it, unplugged and stored in my closet. This apparently saved the components in the laptop and router from being fried from an emp. I guess. That or the placement of the microwave, or something silly. I didn't focus my degree on electrical engineering so I don't know why or how. I was studying to chase deer and bears around with an electronic collar. For all I know it could have been the clothes, or the exploded bean burrito on the roof of the microwave.
The power came back on partway through the second day, almost all of the radio bands are static, though one of the rock stations from up in the mountains is still broadcasting. The DJ says he'll keep playing music to keep people's moods up. With the power on I can mess around on my laptop without running the battery down and keep my mind off what happened.
A Civil Defense announcement was patched through on the radio. Civilians are to remain in their shelters until the radiation levels subside to 100 rads an hour.
Looking out the windows the sky is an oddly twisted blue to the north, and to the south I can see a red glow. I'm guessing the town my apartment is in wasn't important so it wasn't hit directly. From what I can tell based on the civil defense kit, the Geiger counter and dosimeter inside, that inside the apartment is relatively safe, except for the one spot near the northern wall and the front door, the apartment's only reading at one rad every hour or so. The Northern wall, and the front door, if my math is right are reading at 500 rad an hour. So for now I'm going to hole up in the southern bedroom. As best I can tell that's the one room in the apartment that I'll be exposed to the least amount of radiation, well for now. Going to try and sleep now. Wonder if anyone else has figured out the internet still exists.
Comments are welcome and encouraged.
Without Further ado, the opening post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forgive me, a lot of this is condensed from my journal over two days, quite frankly I'm surprised that the internet still exists, or that I could even connect to it.
Somehow, I managed to sleep through the end of the world, it wasn't my radio cutting to the emergency broadcast tone, or the rattling of the windows from the air-bursts that eventually woke me. It was the cold dead silence of an apartment devoid of electricity, no hum of electronics, no whir of the fridge compressor. That's what woke me up, not the crackle of the atom bomb or the drone of the air raid sirens. Somehow I managed to sleep through the third world war. And how am I typing this up you might ask with no power or internet? Well it's back on. I believe that PG&E sealed a pact with Beelzebub with the intent to provide and charge people for electrical power regardless of the state of affairs of the world. I have no doubt that at the end of the month I'll still get a bill for my power consumption, regardless of how much radiation the postman had to go through. Beyond that, a microwave was also part of my saving grace.
A simple offbrand microwave with a small netbook and router stuffed inside it, unplugged and stored in my closet. This apparently saved the components in the laptop and router from being fried from an emp. I guess. That or the placement of the microwave, or something silly. I didn't focus my degree on electrical engineering so I don't know why or how. I was studying to chase deer and bears around with an electronic collar. For all I know it could have been the clothes, or the exploded bean burrito on the roof of the microwave.
The power came back on partway through the second day, almost all of the radio bands are static, though one of the rock stations from up in the mountains is still broadcasting. The DJ says he'll keep playing music to keep people's moods up. With the power on I can mess around on my laptop without running the battery down and keep my mind off what happened.
A Civil Defense announcement was patched through on the radio. Civilians are to remain in their shelters until the radiation levels subside to 100 rads an hour.
Looking out the windows the sky is an oddly twisted blue to the north, and to the south I can see a red glow. I'm guessing the town my apartment is in wasn't important so it wasn't hit directly. From what I can tell based on the civil defense kit, the Geiger counter and dosimeter inside, that inside the apartment is relatively safe, except for the one spot near the northern wall and the front door, the apartment's only reading at one rad every hour or so. The Northern wall, and the front door, if my math is right are reading at 500 rad an hour. So for now I'm going to hole up in the southern bedroom. As best I can tell that's the one room in the apartment that I'll be exposed to the least amount of radiation, well for now. Going to try and sleep now. Wonder if anyone else has figured out the internet still exists.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)