For The Archives -- Family Note -- March 15, 2024

Locator: 46764ARCHIVES.

Forty-seven years ago, on a Saturday, May and I were driving from west Los Angeles to Las Vegas to get married. Since then, two children and "most" of our married life in Europe. Not necessarily in time but in memories. Thirteen consecutive years overseas -- May says fourteen -- and all of it in Europe except two years in Asia -- yeah, it's hard to believe but eastern Turkey is part of Asia. In fact, east Turkey is in a world of its own.

It's not uncommon for military 20-year and 30-year veterans to have an "I Love Me" wall after leaving the service. I never did. I threw out a lot of my USAF memorabilia after I retired, keeping just the "best" memorabilia. Somewhere along the line I lost my most prized possession but it no longer matters to me. And it's possible it's still in one of the boxes in the garage that hasn't been opened. I quit posting on Facebook years ago, but occasionally I check in with the Bitburg (Germany) Air Base group that is very, very active on Facebook. Photos of USAF a/c still bring back a lot of memories. Especially the F-15, the F-111, and the B-52. I do have a wall in the Bat Cave devoted to USAF plaques and photos.

Soccer granddaughter Olivia, along with her dad and boyfriend, Will, are returning home after a week of roughing it -- camping and hiking -- in Big Bend National Park. To some degree -- but much, much different -- it reminds me of the summer after graduating from college that I hitchhiked to NYC from Williston, ND, flew to Europe, and spent two months or so walking across Europe, meeting up with family friends for two weeks in a VW bus from Italy to Portugal via the Mediterranean coast. Had smart phones been around then, I would have documented the trip a whole lot better. But fortunately I did keep a journal.  

It looks like we'll be celebrating our older daughter's birthday a few days early. 

Huge thunderstorm and tornado (?) and hailstorm in our immediate area overnight. No damage in our neighborhood, but today will be a miserable day to be outside.

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The Home Library Page

Today, I will be reading a bit from the quarterly, Claremont Review of Books, the winter 2023 / 2024 issue which just arrived yesterday. It seems 75% of the articles are just "repeats" of everything "they've" written about for years. It gets tedious. Nothing to suggest any "evolution" in thinking over the decades. No new ideas. Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin seem more interesting than most of what's in the Claremont any more. I originally subscribed for the book reviews, and thankfully, a couple of book reviews in this issue might be worth reading.

Max Boot's 2018 The Road Not Taken is absolutely fascinating. A must-read for those who were 18 to 28 years old back during the Vietnam War days. I guess the Baby Boomers and a few early / older Gen Xers. After that, no one seems interested. In fact, those 18 to 28 years old in 1965 means birth years betweenn 1947 and 1957 which means solidly baby boomers and not even Gen Xers. I suppose WWI is to me what Vietnam is for Sophia, age 10. 

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Word for the Day

 Caesura: think Covid. A "pause."

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Breakfast

Remnants of pie day -- 3-14:

One of the reasons grocery prices don't seem so high for me: compare what you at your grocery store to what you pay when you go out to eat.

When I was growing up, certainly until I was 15 years old, going out to eat was very, very special. I must have been twelve years old when I had my first pizza. No hyperbole. 

A slice of pie for dessert today might cost me $4.50 at a nice restaurant in our neighborhood. This lemon meringue pie gave us eight generous slices and cost $7.99 -- a dollar a slice, or 8 x $4.50 = $36 at a restaurant not including tax, tip, and other fees.

Personal Note -- For The Family -- March 5, 2024

Locator: 46682ARCHIVES.

Wow, I couldn't be happier. 

Investing: The equity market is giving investors an opportunity they don't often see.

As mentioned earlier, I will be buying a lot of AAPL by the end of this week. No recommendation.

Then each of the following three weeks in March, one stock each week from my various buckets. CAT will be one of the weekly buys. Again, no recommendation. The last two weeks: NVDA, AMD, ENB, CHRD, NOG, based on price.

Brunch: an American revolution. Great interview with CEO of "First Watch" was awesome. Average check for breakfast, $16.50. Very affordable. Me? I prefer the "Brunch District." It might have two restaurants but it's going to be huge.

Lego: still collecting Lego sets. Can't talk about them because my daughter reads the blog and everything I buy is with the four-year-old grandsons in mind. However, see #4 at this site, the "Razor Crest," #75331. Available at our local re-sale store for $500. My daughter told me never to collect Star Wars. The "Razor Crest" is exhibit A. At the Lego site. This is an immense piece and can only be appreciated in person. Photographs do not do it justice. The video at the Lego site is about as good as you can do if you can't see it in person.

Reading: wow, wow, wow. What a surprise. I doubt I will read any biography any better than the coming of age bio of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy by Carl Sferrazza Anthony, c. 2023. Absolutely fascinating. Her relationship with JFK before they got married is very, very interesting. Explains a lot. This JFK clearly married above his pay grade. Princess Di, at best, would have been a lady-in-waiting. 

Weather: a bit breezy today; high will be 80°P. Sunny. Almost perfect for biking, except for the slight breeze.

Weekly Personal Note -- March 3, 2024

Locator: 46662ARCHIVES.

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Inflation Watch

Groceries: food prices coming down very, very quickly in our neighborhood. Mentioned that yesterday. Now, today, to pick up some things I forgot yesterday, all at Target, the high-cost choice in our area.

• white bread: $1.39
• Spam: on sale at $3.49; regular price, $3.79
• eggs still expensive at $2.79 / dozen; can find them elsewhere for $1.99 / dozen; but don't need any today
• Unfortunately I don't need any of these and didn't buy but it was hard to pass up:

• Campbell's soup? I'm used to paying $1.79 for some choices; now down to a dollar:

• CNBC says $7 for dry cereal in NYC. How about $4.50?

• Oreos. Last time I bought Oreas, years ago, $2.50. Refused to buy them when they went over $2.50 but I continued to follow. Aghast when they went over $5.00 -- only Girl Scout cookies were / are more expensive. But, now, down to $4.00. From $5.19 to $4.00 that's almost a 25% drop in price.

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Family Notes
For The Archives

See this post for background. 

This is an indulgence I would prefer not to do. I don't "do" Facebook so this is my way of keeping friends and family informed of personal events.

Illness: I can't provide the name of the individual right now -- maybe a year from now -- but we came very, very close to losing an extended family member this past week. 

Some might think I'm being a bit dramatic, but I don't think so. Hospitalized with a diagnosis of rule out kidney abscess, diagnosed with severe bilateral pyelonephritis, viral pneumonitis, influenza B, and EV virus (infectious mono). Covid-19 negative. Two week illness; three-day hospitalization; back home this weekend. 

Weather: 90°P weather earlier this week, then winter came roaring back for two days; now back to 80°P this weekend.

More weather: there is a push to change the term "Fahrenheit" to something easier to spell and something more appropriate for US weather. 

Some would like to see "Patriot" degrees. So, today, not 80°F but rather 80°P or 80 degrees Patriot. LOL. The conversion rate "F" to "P" much easier than from "F" to "C."

Birthdays:

• May is in Portland, OR, celebrating birthdays for Judah and Levi. Four years old.
• Carl and Ruth's great-grandchildren birthdays this month: Judah, Levi, Kaitlyn, Gemma, and Avery.

Economic activity: in the DFW area seems to be incredible. 

May and I spent the four-day weekend, about two weeks ago in San Antonio.

Driving through Ft Worth was amazing, and the growth around Rose Glen was amazing.

Absolutely zero talk here in Texas about the "southern surge" including almost no mention of the immigration issue on all the political advertising now going on. If there is any mention of the immigration issue in political ads, it's less than what it was four years ago, even with the dueling visits by a president in his ninth decade of life and an opponent in his eighth decade of life. Is that right?