A Blog of Retirement and Related Thoughts
The news today from England is that Queen Elizabeth has passed Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch. I love nearly all things British, especially royal events such as a wedding, the State Opening of Parliament, etc. The English have a delightful way of maintaining traditions. Take sports, for example. I like the fact that Wimbledon … Continue reading Overstaying
A Cuban Tree Frog recently got the best of me. When faced with the creepy task of having to somehow scoop it up and remove it from the inside of a condo, my innate reaction was to instead recoil at the idea of my being anywhere within 10 feet of it. You might say the "wimp meter" … Continue reading Lost: Manhood. Last Seen Around 1982. Reward Offered
Four days short of our one-year anniversary of retiring to Florida, we are getting to experience the first brush of what makes the residents here such hearty souls -- a possible hurricane scare. I say possible because no one actually knows what will happen. Tropical Storm Erika has already been responsible for destructive flooding in Dominica with … Continue reading Candles, Flashlights and Pink Floyd: Hurricane Preparedness For Novices
The stock market is tanking. If I understand it correctly, the initial reason stems from China having devalued its currency. For most of the day yesterday, it looked as if there might be a "correction to the correction." Or more aptly put from all I've read about the Chinese economy, "a correction to the corruption." Alas, a recovery was not meant … Continue reading The “Rice For The Children” Defense
The move to our new rental condo is completed. We still have some boxes haphazardly sitting in parts of the living room, each of us no doubt waiting for the other to take charge of what's in them. In spite of that, closets are now mostly organized, clothes are settling into their final destinations, and thankfully the … Continue reading Color Coded
In my day... In my day, smoking pot was safe. The only real danger from it lurked in the calories that we gained from consuming Belgium waffles at the Elias Brother's Big Boy. That component, of course, came from the last stage of the pot smoking experience, the hallowed Munchies. Most of the other aspects of it … Continue reading The End of the Innocence
Dig our living room's current state of feng shui. Whoever said that clutter is inharmonious to a home's energy balance is nothing but a big killjoy. I am sure of this because each time I haul out my treasures that have been tucked away drawers and closets, I feel as if I'm attending a big family reunion -- thankfully without the undercurrents of resentment. … Continue reading Wandering Jews
For a brief period in the last year I followed singer David Crosby's activities on Twitter. He has a very loyal fan base, and for a while I found it interesting to read his comments. He is provocative, opinionated, and has absolutely no desire to hold back if asked to weigh in about other artists. I notice that he often uses the word … Continue reading The Poser
Sonically, things have entered into a kind of strange Other World in our household lately. A generous, some might even say gratuitous, serving of spa and new age music seems to now fill our afternoons. Some of this has to do with the need for Gorgeous to have soothing, non-interfering sounds so that she can concentrate on her clients. … Continue reading Living in an Elevator
As I write this posting, I am sitting in the waiting room of my local Toyota dealership. Milton, my 2007 Matrix, is receiving his scheduled 5,000 mile maintenance service today. It hasn't actually been 5000 miles since his last visit, but when the red reminder light goes on I faithfully bring him in anyhow. My knowledge of … Continue reading Auto Repair Charade
Snakes in the Grass 
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