Published for Saturday - December 07, 2024

Written Friday - 12/06/24 07:00 AM

Repost from last year with a minor adjustment:

It happened about 83 years ago on December 7, 1941. The United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii suffered a major surprise attack by the Japanese.

The initial strike took place on a Sunday just before 8:00 AM, local time.

The strike was incredible and it still amazes me that we pulled out of this one without becoming part of Japan.

Both incredible versions of the movie, Midway (1976 and 2019), did a great deal to foster my understanding of our amazing defense.

Published for Friday - December 06, 2024

Written Tuesday - 12/03/24 07:00 PM

As I publish, it's the ex-dividend date for Bank of America stock. That means if anyone purchases Bank of America stock today, the dividend goes to the seller.

If anyone purchases Bank of America stock the day before the ex-dividend date then that person will collect the dividend. That's how the ex-dividend date is figured into the dividend payment process.

In fact, if anyone is holding Bank of America stock the day before ex-dividend date, then that person will receive the stock dividend.

The picture above does a great job of explaining who gets the dividend.

Published for Thursday - December 05, 2024

Written Wednesday - 12/04/24 07:55 AM

Well, I basically starved myself yesterday. As such, I also dropped a good bit of weight.

I'm far better than I was yesterday but still not where I want to be. The difference between where I want to be and where I need to be seems to be a bit on the wide side.

But then again, I've basically shifted my range 5 pounds upward. I want to manage my BMI a bit better and I want to drop a bit more weight to get to a point where I'm feeling better about that layer of fat that doesn't want to go away.

Looking lighter and looking cut is a big difference. I want to move toward the 'cut' side of that equation. But I also want to be realistic about things.

Maybe I don't want to be realistic. Maybe I want to approach life from a body building perspective. Maybe I really do want to drive toward the 'cut' end of things.

We'll see...

Published for Wednesday - December 04, 2024

Written Tuesday - 12/03/24 08:55 AM

Probably about a month ago, I went and purchased new batteries for the bathroom scales. With those new batteries my weight went up enough for me to believe that the only way to account for the additional weight was the new batteries.

Since that time, I've completely lost focus on my weight and my has it gone up. It's time to ignore the sweet offerings of my better half and get down to brass tacks.

The problem is that I'm quite sure part of my 'newer' problem has to do with the muscles that have been added via my weight training and the additional weight that has been introduced there. Between my arms, legs, shoulders, and abs there's clear evidence that weight is being added there.

The sad truth is that I have no idea what my new weight range should be. I've got an inkling of an idea and that's going to be my initial target and range until I see otherwise. I'm over 5 pounds above the top of that range so my work is cut out for me. Time to get with the show!

Published for Tuesday - December 03, 2024

Written Monday - 12/02/24 07:10 AM

Have you ever heard the joke about the football player who had to pass a spelling test? They asked him to spell out the word 'Coffee' and if he even got one letter correct they would consider the spelling test passed and he could keep playing football for the school.

The football player gave it some thought. Then he responded: K-A-U-P-H-Y. I remember my father telling me that joke many, many years ago. In fact, I would guess that it's been over 50 years since he told me that joke.

I guess dad would be in his 90's if he was still around. I sure do miss the guy and it's still hard to believe he is gone. In fact, I remember well when he was one of the more senior people at our family gatherings. Now I'm one of those senior people and boy, does that make me feel old - not to mention having crossed the 70 yard line of life just a few months ago.

I remember looking around at the crowd at our recent Thanksgiving celebration and thinking how old some of us are looking. Wow, what a wakeup call that was. Life is short and it goes by faster and faster.

Published for Monday - December 02, 2024

Written Saturday - 11/30/24 07:15 PM

The only thing worse that driving in Atlanta is doing it on Thanksgiving weekend. That's what I learned a few years ago and I repeated that important lesson today. It's a two hour trip each way and that doesn't include the Atlanta traffic.

It may be two days after Thanksgiving, but it's Saturday and too many folks are headed home (like us.) It will probably be worse tomorrow as people wait until Sunday, the end of the holiday weekend to pack up and head home.

We did the entire round-trip in one day. Even with an early (9 AM) departure, we forgot about the time difference and the crowd was already there and waiting on us. It was a long walk on that wavy sidewalk carrying the food Patty had made for lunch.

We got away at a reasonable hour and thought that all we needed to do was get on I-20 and out of downtown Atlanta. Boy was that ever wrong.

It seemed like everyone was leaving Atlanta and headed west on I-20 like us. Talk about an ongoing traffic jam! I don't thing we got away from the crowd until we got off I-20 and headed for Sweet Home, Alabama. That was about 15 miles north of I-20 with an hour remaining to reach Birmingham.

Next year we are going to drive back over to Atlanta to hop on a plane and fly out to see Josh, Allie, and the grandsons in Germany. What a wonderful trip that will be even with the long drive to and from Atlanta and a potential rush-hour with which to contend.

Published for Sunday - December 01, 2024

Written Saturday - 11/30/24 07:00 AM

This will definitely be a mixed bag post. That's because there are a lot of topics to cover and not much to say about each.

We had a nice down day after a wonderful Thanksgiving meal out with Jonathan and Amy. Mexican always works for all of us and they are one of the few places that remains open and continues to serve meals on Thanksgiving Day.

We slept well last night until the cat came in. Then about 6 AM the smoke detectors started going off and Patty and I went searching for the source of the smoke. Looks like it was a false alarm with the heater.

It's about 7:20 as I write and according to the online weather, the temps will continue to stay below freezing until about 9 AM. I'm not so sure how that aligns with what we are (and will be) experiencing. It tends to be a bit warmer out here when compared to the online temps.

I'm looking forward to our trip over to Josh and Liz's house to visit with the extended family and enjoy a cover-dish meal together. It's about a 2 hour drive each way and we plan to leave no later than 9 AM and avoid any darkness on the way home by leaving no later than 3 PM and possibly a bit before that.

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