Happy Thanksgiving
Published for Saturday - November 30, 2024
Written Thursday - 11/29/24 08:40 AM
As I write, it's Thanksgiving day. And as I publish, we're headed over to Josh and Liz's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with the extended family.
So either way I'm safe extending a Thanksgiving post today. I'm safe with catching it both ways on both days (or something like that.)
The big deal is going to be the weather. Starting tonight there's a call for temps to get down in the low 20's. Somewhere in there they were also calling for stormy weather. I'm not sure if that is in the forecast any longer but I do know there is a call for those cold temps. Ouch!
Tube Lights
Published for Friday - November 29, 2024
Written Wednesday - 11/27/24 07:40 AM
Well, today my handyman (Mike) comes by to install some extra long fluorescent tube lights. They're eight footers and while I could have probably installed them myself it's nice to have someone do it who knows what they are doing and doesn't have my balance challenges.
My amazingly wonderful wife has asked me to steer clear of ladders so that I avoid a serious fall. That's the least I can do for her, especially since it ultimately benefits me to avoid such possibilities for a fall.
I recently, with my wife's assistance, updated some 4 foot bulbs in our closet but what Mike is doing today is working with 8 footers and putting those bad boys in would be an extra challenge for me.
Tube Light Problems
Written Wednesday - 11/27/24 12:40 PM
Well, there is clearly a reason that my Handman (Mike) needed to be involved today.
As things turned out there was more of a problem than was first expected (by me
anyway.)
Turns out we had ballast problems and Mike had to order those since Home Depot doesn't
carry what we needed and Lowe's was out of them. Mike and Curtis and the two children
that belong to Curtis spent much of their time on the road between our house and Lowe's.
Pictured above is the ballast for one or more fluorescent tubes. I honestly know very
little about it which is why I'm glad Mike was doing the work for us. The tube lights
may still be okay, but I suspect they're as old as the house so I will replace them
and the ballast.
We have no idea how long the order will take to arrive. But at least I have one good
bulb that is working until the order arrives and everything can be updated.
From the Heart
Published for Thursday - November 28, 2024
Written Tuesday - 11/26/24 02:50 PM
Lately it seems I've had a lot to say about fitness. There's a good reason for that.
Years ago when I was very busy with other things, fitness was a priority but not to the level it is today. Running was always important, but the weight training craze is something I added here in my later years and as a direct result of talking with my son (and learning so much from him) about the topic.
I remember telling myself that when I retired I was going to invest a lot of my free time into the fitness arena. We'll here I am in retirement and it's time to follow through.
To be very honest, I'm not sure I would be doing it on such a regular and consistent basis were it not for the medical issues I face (balance and the like.) It's been mentioned before and would not surprise me if my fitness routine was not keeping more problems at bay.
There's no doubt that I face issues and I'm not surprised that the doctors are having such a difficult time diagnosing my situation. There seems to be a direct correlation there and I hope I can keep it in place with what I am doing.
I seriously doubt that my routine is keeping things at bay but it sure does seem to work in my favor in terms of my ability to enjoy life. For that I intend to approach my routine with a stubborn resolve to do what I am doing for as long as I can, and will always remain grateful for the opportunity to do all that I am doing for as long as the opportunity presents itself.
Reaching Out to Allie
Written Tuesday - 11/26/24 08:30 AM
I was able to speak with Allie. In fact, she is always faithful to reach back
out and this time was no different.
I'm so grateful that they are going out of their way to make it easy on us.
As usual, she and Josh are pulling out all of the stops to provide us with
a wonderful experience. We don't deserve such kind treatment but remain
thankful anyway.
Allie is coming to spend time with us. Josh and Allie have worked their magic
to make things happen and all I can say is, Wow! They have also worked their
magic on our trip to visit them and all I can still say is, Wow! I want to
thank them both for their kindness.
Travel Plans
Published for Wednesday - November 27, 2024
Written Tuesday - 11/26/24 06:55 AM
I called Allie this morning, but she didn't answer. She must be busy.
I need to talk to her about our travels out to see them. Turns out our flights were cancelled by Lufthansa so we need to rebook them and we need to run some of the details past Allie (and probably Josh.)
Looks like there's an option to take a train from our flight destination over to where Josh and Allie and the boys live. Considering the time of day that best suits our possible plans, the train may need to be an option.
I also need to talk to her about her travel plans out to see us. The big question is whether or not she will be able to fly into Birmingham, Alabama or will need to arrive at the Atlanta airport facility.
I'm guessing it will be the latter of the two options, but we'll see what she says. Because she will be using points on a credit card for her travel arrangements, she may be able to fly directly to Birmingham and arrive at a daylight hour. That's the big question.
Workout and a Sweaty Run
Written Tuesday - 11/26/24 08:30 AM
Interesting. If I run and turn the fan on for mile 2, I am more rested during
and after the run and my HR (Heart rate) is lower. If I leave the fan off,
I'm much more sweaty, not as well rested, and have a higher HR during the run.
Unfortunately for me, I need my HR up in the no-fan area. That gets it up in the
130 to 140 range whereas my fan leaves it in the 120 to 130 range. The fan
definitely cools me down and makes for a more comfortable run. Guess I'll need
to reconsider my use of that fan for any of my run and particularly for mile 2.
Mile 2 is particularly difficult because of my default balance problems mixed
with the speed (8.5 minute miles) I am trying to maintain. The breaks I take on
the half miles for mile 1 and the quarter miles for mile 2 are critical to my
success on any run.
The entire run winds up being a (HIIT) High-Intensity Interval Training type
run. And for that kind of run the HR is the real goal. Balance is always an
issue after such a run, but not to the point that it can't be managed.
I miss my Half-Marathon runs but I'm the first to admit that I never tried to
run those in a higher speed HIIT fashion. HIIT training was just becoming
popular and trendy in my running magazine when I was running half marathons,
but I wasn't ready to go there.
Cold Weather Coming
Published for Tuesday - November 26, 2024
Written Monday - 11/25/24 07:05 AM
The picture (above) reminds me of our trip to Montana and more to the point our trip down to Yellowstone. We hear rumors of snow in our forecast but so far, nothing has shown up.
There's a reason for the Mohawk Cliff road name and the picture sure reminds me of that fact. Now all we need to add is a little snow to our scenery.
We're moving into the colder season of the year. So far, things out this way haven't dropped below freezing although it's been in the forecast. (Barely!)
But now we've got some future temperatures forecast for the lower 20's. That will be painful and I'll definitely be doing some dripping at the kitchen sink.
I suppose that's one of the good things about living out here in the sticks. Water is cheap for the two of us - even with a lot of dripping. No complaints here.
Lily
Written Monday - 11/25/24 07:15 AM
With the colder temps, we decided to let Lily stay inside the house instead of shut up in
her room. She seems to have learned not to wake us up in the early morning and is becoming
more and more friendly along the way.
She likes to sleep at the foot of our bed so she and I have to be careful about
my sleeping and early rising. My long legs and feet are not very conducive to
her comfort during the night, much less my early rising in the morning.
As can be seen above, she'll sleep just about anywhere there's a flat and warm spot
that is to her liking. Hang in there Lily! We're glad to have you here!
Musk
Published for Monday - November 25, 2024
Written Sunday - 11/24/24 06:55 AM
I'm not sure if I'm going to finish Elon Musk's book. He's quite a character.
I'll probably listen to the last few chapters just for whatever surprise he has in store. I suspect there will be a surprise in there somewhere.
I say that because so far the book has been full of surprises and not really the good kind if you know what I mean. To say he is a character is the understatement of the year.
I'm having a difficult time making a determination as to whether he is a genius or just a power crazy nut. He doesn't really show that side much in the public setting but the writer keeps no secrets in this book and apparently lots of people who work with him know those secrets as well.
On the surface, he seems like a really nice guy. But as I dig deeper it seems he runs a 'fly by the seat of his pants' type of operation.
Musk and Twitter
Written Monday - 11/25/24 06:30 AM
It's his ability to set deadlines that confuses me. Do they reflect genius
or just his ability to force those around him to work quickly in order to
stay employed with Elon's organization and for some to potentially earn top
dollar?
I'm glad I stayed to finish out the book. A bulk of the final chapters
were dedicated to the Twitter saga and that's where my path crosses most
with Elon Musk. It's a very long book but also very well organized (in a
chronological fashion.)
Thinking Out Loud
Published for Sunday - November 24, 2024
Written Saturday - 11/23/24 09:10 AM
I've asked our handyman (Mike) to install some 8 foot fluorescent tube lights in our downstairs storage room. I didn't know they came in those lengths until 3 of them went out at the same time. Guess it's time to replace them.
Patty and I enjoyed an in-house date (movie and Chef T's pizza with Coke Zero.) It was a new Valentine movie on Sling and very good. We ate half our pizza and decided to do a couple of movies. I guess we'll finish the pizza today and try to ignore the bathroom scale readings.
My birthday is in mid-September and Patty catches up with me late in the following January. This one was and will be one of those big ones that ends in a zero.
Allie has a lot of credit card points and is taking a free flight (alone) to come over and join Jonathan and Amy and me in celebrating Patty's big day. It promises to be a big time for everyone - especially the birthday girl.
Ham Radio
Published for Saturday - November 23, 2024
Written Saturday - 11/23/24 07:05 AM
Well, I've got 197 countries confirmed and 211 countries counting those that are not yet confirmed. It seems that a number of those countries will not ever confirm.
I guess that's what happens when different operators have differing sets of priorities. People focus on different things and go in different directions.
Some people are award chasers like me and others operate without actively logging anything. I've only got four countries to go in order to earn the Oceania award, which is my final award in terms of the banners on one's QRZ site.
Some operators try and earn all awards for each band. That's not me. If I can simply earn an award that's fine with me. I don't need it on each band.
It's a very patient operator who has earned everything at the band level. And, it's a sign of a ham operator who has a very good antenna and some extra power.
Despite my hexbeam, it's not very high which limits my ability to work some folks. And, we're not supposed to be working digital with extra power so I stay away from that. It's probably another limiting factor for me.
Truth is, I'm just not willing to adapt to the 24/7 activity level it takes to earn all of those award on all of those bands. I want a life outside of ham radio and I intend to go in that direction.
A Package from Allie
Published for Friday - November 22, 2024
Written Thursday - 11/21/24 05:45 PM
We just received a package in the mail and it's 5:47 PM. Patty said to our mail lady, 'you're still out?' And she replied, 'oh yeah!'
It's pitch black (dark) outside and she's still working hard! Makes me more grateful than ever to be retired (but I wouldn't say that to her with all that she is having to do this late.) Not if I value my life and any future packages and mail.
Allie knows me so well. It's about 5:55 PM here which means it's about 12:55 AM tomorrow in Germany so I dare not call her to say thanks. Like I said, she knows me so well and sent a box of incredible edible treats including a box of what I would label as 'Rock Candy.' Germany says it differently.
The front of the box includes the words Südzucker and Weisser Kandis. According to the web, Südzucker is a German company that produces sugar and sugar-related products, including candy sugar and candy powder. They also offer liquid sugars, syrups, and other sweetening solutions for use in the food industry.
Below that on the front cover of the box are more German words - specifically: der Kandis-Genuss fürs genze Jahr... which, thanks to Google's online translator means 'the candy enjoyment for the whole year...' Too cool for school!
Oh, and one other thing from the web and worth a mention. Weisser Kandis is a white rock sugar made in Germany that resembles polished gemstones. It's made through a complex manufacturing process that slowly grows each crystal. The crystals are said to have a fine sweetness that enhances the aroma of tea. You can use Weisser Kandis for tea, white candy, self-made liqueurs, and fruits in alcohol.
Also worth a big mention is the little booklet that Allie produced and bound that included her hand-written family news and wonderful family pictures. What an amazing treat to receive and what an awesome way to catch up on everything that's going on. And what a treat it will be to see her early next year.
Rain!
Published for Thursday - November 21, 2024
Written Tuesday - 11/19/24 04:30 PM
Well, from last night until 4:00 PM today we've had 4 inches of rain as can be seen above on the rain gauge. I didn't realize how badly the gauge was leaning until I looked at the picture. Guess I need to correct that.
More Rain
Written Wednesday - 11/20/24 06:35 AM
Well, I dumped the rain gauge at 4:00 PM yesterday and from that time until about
midnight when the rain ended we got another 1.25 inches. Looks like 5.25 altogether.
It looks pretty wet outside, but I don't think we got anything after midnight, at
least no more rain based on the weather map and the forecast.
More Billing Problems
Published for Wednesday - November 20, 2024
Written Tuesday - 11/19/24 07:00 AM
It will be interesting to see how things work out, from a billing perspective, on Thursday morning. I must confess that I'm not very optimistic that there will be a positive result.
I've done all I can in terms of contacting both the insurance company and the medical provider. They keep wanting to send me to each other. Ouch!
My insurance company made a mistake to start things off. I called ahead to ensure my specialist (doctor) was covered. While I was assured she was in our plan, the claim was mistakenly rejected.
I'm building upon the "Incorrect Billing" post offered on the Thursday November 14th post. However, there's been some crazy stuff going on since that information was posted.
You see, I'm still waiting on a corrected statement for a previous visit. I'm fearful that the previous statement is all they will have to go on and perhaps I shouldn't try for this upcoming appointment.
However, the lady at my insurance office (today) said she would make a note in my file so that I could go ahead and attend my upcoming appointment. And so, that's what I'm going to do (and hope for the best.)
Lily Cat
Published for Tuesday - November 19, 2024
Written Monday - 11/18/24 06:55 AM
I hope I'm wrong but Lily cat didn't show up here at the house late last night or early this morning. That's not a good sign with her appetite.
She should have been here at some point to enjoy her breakfast. But she did not arrive.
Now I get to wonder if a wild animal grabbed her sometime during the night or if she will just randomly appear sometime this morning or today. Like I said, I hope she does just randomly appear, for that will put our fears to rest.
Unfortunately, if she was going to show up, one would think she might have already done so. But she has not and therefore the case of worry.
We've got our yard guy coming by today to get a start on leaf removal. It's my guess that it will be our last opportunity for our cat to make that random appearance of which I was speaking.
If not, then who knows what might have happened. And our case for worry will unfortunately stay with us for quite a while.
Well, our leaf guy showed up and after I finished talking with him I came back inside to discover Lily walking around like she owned the place. Looks like she spent the night inside and the amazing thing that Patty pointed out is that she didn't come in early this morning and wake us up like she would usually do if we keep her inside.
Patty says Lily looks like she might have been in a fight yesterday, but who knows for sure? She'll stay inside during the leaf work and we can set aside any worry that we might have had. I guess we'll let her out once the leaf work is finished.
This is the second time she has done something like this to us. The first time was during the move from Crawfordville headed over this way. And now, she's done it to us a second time. I guess we should have learned by now.
In fact, in the picture above she almost seems to be laughing at us but hiding it behind her paws. Do you think that's possible?
Or is it just me and am I over-reacting to the entire situation and being a bit weird about it. Whatdaya think?
Leaf Work
Written Monday - 11/18/24 04:40 PM
Well, it looks like the leaf work is done. Steve did a fabulous job and we couldn't
be more pleased.
We'll have to have him over once more when the remainder of the leaves fall on the
ground - and my oh my do we still have a lot of leaves to fall.
We're very pleased that he went ahead and did some weed-whacking out front for it
looks like that was going to be needed after all. I guess getting the leaves out
of the way revealed what still needed to be done. I think we struck a good bargain
for both parties on the payment. I'm guessing that's why he went ahead and had the
weed-whacking performed.
Blogging
Published for Monday - November 18, 2024
Written Friday - 11/15/24 05:55 PM
Okay, moment of truth. How does a guy stay so faithful to a blog without much of a readership? If I'm brutally honest, I suppose I would have to confess that it's directly related to my Asperger's.
In that ailment, you'll find a faithful perspective to 'routine' and that's pretty much the attraction for me. It's part of my routine whether or not anyone reads or cares about it.
From time to time my sweet wife will ask me what I like most about life. There's only one correct answer to that question and she always sees it coming and asks me not to include her in my answer. Well, a distant second would be the routine that I enjoy.
And boy! My life is all about a daily routine and that's where blogging and so many other things come into play. That includes ham radio, politics, fitness, and a good dose of TV and investing.
We've also added a late afternoon walk (outside) to our schedule. It makes for a great opportunity to grab some fresh air and check out the setting sun at various stages.
It sure does set early these days. It starts around five PM and is pitch black by six PM. We usually get out around 3:30 PM or so and already can see the evidence of a sun that is setting.
Elon Musk
Published for Sunday - November 17, 2024
Written Friday - 11/15/24 05:35 PM
Oh my! I purchased another book on my Audible Account. This one is about Elon Musk and takes his name as the book title.
I had no idea we shared such similarities (Asperger's Traits) or (at the same time) were so different and had even been brought up in two very different environments.
I'm about 30+ chapters into the book and the chapters are very, very, short. One might think that makes for quick reading but not when the book has somewhere around 95+ chapters.
I'm honestly taken aback at all that has gone on and is going on in Elon's life. Despite being the richest man in the world, he has gone through a lot and it's so interesting to hear and see those things.
Leaves
Published for Saturday - November 16, 2024
Written Friday - 11/15/24 08:55 AM
It's kind of funny. We decide it's time to have the leaves taken care of and right behind that decision comes a rainy season wreaking havoc on our plans.
We spoke to Steve, our yard guy, and he was scheduled to come over and start taking care of the leaves. I don't want it to become such a big job that we scare him off. That job would definitely scare off this balance impaired guy.
Steve's supposed to come by next week and see if the leaves have dried out from the two inches of rain we got (all at one time) last week. Guess what?
The rain is supposed to return next week as well. I guess I'll call Steve and see if Monday sounds reasonable since the rain is supposed to return on Tuesday and is supposed to be heavy that day.
I wonder if the leaves will be dry enough to work with by Monday? Sigh...
Friends
Published for Friday - November 15, 2024
Written Thursday - 11/14/24 07:45 AM
You know that TV show called friends? It's the one that's no longer filming and the one where some of the cast members are having problems or are no longer with us.
Well, I tend to wonder about that from time to time. That's because my only friends are my family members. And that's the way I like it.
Does that seem strange? Maybe it's an extrovert vs. introvert kind of thing. My wife put me onto that.
You know the old saying: 'I wish I had spent more time at the office!' That is the one that nobody ever said. Well, almost nobody unless it was a work-a-holic somewhere.
But, when it comes to spending time with someone, for me it's probably my better half or a close (or perhaps not-so-close) family member. A not-so-close family member is one where you know what you know and you have to do something about it. There's an unspoken obligation that exists.
Getting together may not happen that often, but it does need to happen. That's the 'unspoken obligation' about which I was speaking.
Now, I'm not speaking of just any rather distant family member. I'm speaking of one who should be closer but for one reason or another is not. That's where the 'unspoken obligation' appears.
We need to be sensitive to the cultural shifts that occur. People become distant both emotionally and physically. But that's not the thing about which I'm speaking.
Doesn't the 'unspoken obligation' reach beyond cultural shifts. For the time being, that's what I'm going with. If I discover I'm wrong, then I'll make the adjustments. Until then...
Incorrect Billing
Published for Thursday - November 14, 2024
Written Wednesday - 11/13/24 07:05 AM
It's been a strange set of occurrences in terms of my UAB billing. I received a bill that made no sense, called the number on the bill, and was told that my insurance claim had been rejected. I was also told that I would need to call my UHC insurer to see why it was rejected.
I did just that and was given a strange story and told that I could simply ignore the bill. After all, I was told that I was covered.
I didn't quite buy into the entire idea of not having to pay it and called back to see if I could find a more fluent English speaking person. No luck there but I was assured that my cardiologist at UAB was covered and so they would correct and resend the bill.
Since I have another visit on the calendar with the same doctor, I got all I needed in my discovery that her work was covered by my UHC provider. The UHC person was still not very fluent in English, but enough so that I could at least get the critical information that I needed.
So now, onto my visit with her next week and I'm in a hurry up and wait situation with UHC in terms of my revised bill that is going to be sent.
It's Over - The Results Are In
Written Thursday - 10/31/24 03:35 PM
Well, it looks like the Republicans pulled off the trifecta. Trump has
the executive office, and the Republicans have both the house and the
senate - just the results needed to get things done.
Officially, the Republicans have the much-needed majority in the house.
Further counting will provide additional information on how strong the
majority is in the house. The executive office and the senate are
already strong.
Furthermore, President-Elect Donald J. Trump has appointed both Elon Musk
and Vivek Ramaswamy to serve as co-execs of the D.O.G.E (the Department of
Governmental Efficiency) along with a number of cabinet appointments.
Ham Radio Contacts
Published for Wednesday - November 13, 2024
Written Monday - 11/12/24 06:15 PM
Well, I think I donated once to a group that had a DXpedition going and with whom I made a contact. The whole idea was that by making a $5 donation one could have a contact confirmed in the log if a contact was indeed made.
Since that time things have gotten more expensive and I just have no interest in paying for a log entry. Paying anything at all goes against everything in me and while it does indeed speed up the contact awards, it also take away the thrill out of doing it the hard (and old fashioned) way. (By making a contact with someone who is not trying to receive compensation for confirming a contact.)
I've since made 16 or so contacts where a donation would earn a logged contact. I just can't bring myself to pay for anything like that and so will have to forgo the contacts. Oh, and can you believe that one group is asking for a $20 donation?
Forget it. It borders on cheating and they have to call it a donation since it is illegal within the ham radio hobby to do anything for profit.
It would have been so easy to cook up a scheme for such a result if it were legal. In fact, that didn't stop some people from using it for work related phone calls before cell phones hit the market. That was also considered highly illegal back in the day and such operations still are illegal although usually not necessary with the advent of cell phones.
I remember doing (free) 'phone patches' as they were called (way back when) for people who were in the ministry and living in another country. It never would have even crossed my mind to charge for such a service. It was a technology I could use to do something nice for someone.
I also remember ham radio operators (myself included) working parades and related events where our technology served a wonderful communication related purpose. In fact, I even used to run races with a 'handy talkie' (a ham radio walkie talkie) in my hand and report to the coordinator if someone was having a problem.
Dad used to do also work races which made the race based 'handy talkies' all the more fun. It was always a treat to talk to him on my radio. He and my sweet wife both earned their VHF related licenses and I always considered it an honor that they both did that for me. As I've said before neither were 'big talkers' - both were more like 'wise listeners' and such incredible examples to me.
Spiritual vs. Political
Published for Tuesday - November 12, 2024
Written Saturday - 11/09/24 06:40 AM
This is an important post. I want it to reflect the reality of where I'm at with the spiritual vs. the political.
To me, it's always more about the spiritual than the political. But that's not to say that the politcal isn't important. It is!
The challenge is to always enter the political realm with a spiritual mindset. That's what I believe must happen.
What God wants is most important. That's the thing we must keep in mind and must be reflected in our prayers.
Sure, I have problems with a Trump presidency. But I have greater problems with the idea of the Democrat agenda.
It's not like the old days where the choice seemed more clear. But now I really wonder if party corruption has always been with us. It seems to me that it has and I would be the fool for believing otherwise.
I suppose in the past we tolerated the proverbial 'white lies' in favor of what seemed like a more important purpose. And now those 'white lies' have turned into something much greater and generated a purpose that seems more important than in the past.
Seems to me that the level of sophistication is also much greater than in the past. It's probably just an age related thing and the fact that my life affords me more time to be politically involved.
But what does God want? That has to remain my focus amidst everything else!
Since 'Molinism' has introduced 'Free Will' to my belief system, the world of politics seems more important than ever before. That's because my belief system now allows me to believe that my vote truly makes a difference and, as a result, the political environment is now more important to me than ever before.
Update - U.S. House Results
Published for Monday - November 11, 2024
Written Saturday - 11/11/24 06:35 AM
There are still 18 seats that are unaccounted for and a majority has yet to be claimed. Vote counting is extremely slow and, had we not had enough votes to secure the presidency, we would have had a similar crisis there.
I wanted to stay on top of the U.S. House election results until either the Republicans or Democrats win a majority. We're still not there yet as of this writing. We're getting closer but still not there. There have been a lot of claims about who is going to win, but so far there has been no winner.
I hope I'll be able to add another update if we get there anytime soon. This is pretty critical to our future. Since we have claimed a majority in the senate, a similar majority in the house with Trump as president would mean that we would have the votes to complete our agenda. We are in much need of that opportunity if we are to get things done.
Trump's Early Agenda
Published for Sunday - November 10, 2024
Written Friday - 11/08/24 11:30 AM
Trump's early (initial) agenda reflects the following:
Current U.S. House Results
Published for Saturday - November 09, 2024
Written Friday - 11/08/24 06:30 AM
Well, as I write it's still Friday the 8th. While the U.S. Senate race is over, the race for the house is still up for grabs.
The republicans flipped 4 seats to take a strong hold on the U.S. Senate with a total of 53 seats.
As I mentioned, the house is still up for grabs. The Democrats hold 199 seats presently while the Republicans are at 211 seats.
It's a race to 218 seats for a majority and some races are still being counted (or waiting to be counted due to possible delays.)
One Other Market Mention
Written Friday - 11/08/24 10:30 AM
Since I was almost mistaken about the Monday market, I figured it was worth a
mention here. Turns out the Bond Market is closed Monday but Stocks, Options,
and Futures markets will be open and active.
I say all of this because longer weekends often have a different effect on the
Tuesday morning openings after a longer weekend, not to mention the entire week.
I feared some might be expecting a longer weekend since Veteran's Day is a
Federal Holiday, and yet some of the markets will still be open.
The Market
Published for Friday - November 08, 2024
Written Friday - 11/08/24 06:35 AM
As you may have noticed, I'm writing and publishing on the same day today. I didn't take the time to 'write ahead' of my publishing like I usually do.
The market is starting off way up this morning, but will probably sell off this afternoon heading into a weekend where few want to hold, in case something bad happens that might rattle the market.
No worries! These same sellers will become buyers next Monday after the weekend is over. Any loss today will easily become a gain to start off the next week as today's sellers re-enter the market.
Of course, that's the way things 'should' play out. But I'm not a market prognosticator, but rather I'm going to remain a buy and hold kind of guy. That big jump, the morning after Trump was announced winner, has left me in a good position for my strategy.
Sure it's risky remaining in the market over a weekend but it's equally risky to exit and then try to get back in without showing a loss. Either way, it makes for interesting and entertaining market watching.
Investing During a Trump Victory
Published for Thursday - November 07, 2024
Written Wednesday - 11/06/24 01:05 PM
I added a single line note on yesterday's political post. In it I mentioned how excited the market seemed about the election results.
Never, it seems, were words more true. As of this post (and just after 1:15 PM) my Bank of America stock (BAC) is riding a wave at $45.20 per share, up almost 8% on the day and very close to the high for the day which came in at $45.55.
I missed the major growth spurt that occurred the last time Trump was elected. I wasn't going to do that again.
With the hot and heavy action I observed early this morning in the premarket, I almost sold 1,000 shares. I was correct considering the drop that occurred after.
However, I would have missed what is turning out to be a great holding. I think a buy and hold strategy may provide some interesting entertainment since I'm sitting at the same price-point where I considered an exit this morning.
2024 Presidential Election Results
Published for Wednesday - November 06, 2024
Written Wednesday - 11/06/24 06:25 AM
Well, it's all over but the crying.
The results are in and here's what the presidential election yielded:
Our new president is Donald J. Trump and the final tally was 277 electoral votes for President Trump to 224 electoral votes for Kamala Harris. I'm delighted to say that President Trump also won the popular vote with 71,177,549 or 51% to Kamala's 66,236,958 or 47.5%.
More Election Results
Written Wednesday - 11/06/24 06:25 AM
I wanted to provide a bit more detail about the election results. I'm equally
interested in how the US Senate and the US House faired. So let's take a look.
In the US Senate and the US House of Representatives it was anticipated that
there was a real possibility that the Republicans would walk away with both.
In fact, it looks like that is what may happen when the final total is in.
In the US Senate, the Republicans gained 3 seats and the Democrats lost 3 seats.
In the US House, the Republicans gained 1 seat and the Democrats lost 1 seat.
With those results in mind, it appears when the final tally is in that the
Republicans will hold majorities in both the house and the senate.
I should also note that the market seems to be very excited about the results.
It's up quite a bit this morning.
Election Day
Published for Tuesday - November 05, 2024
Written Monday - 11/04/24 07:00 AM
Today is the big day. I can't believe it has finally arrived.
Be sure to make your voice heard. Go and vote if you haven't already.
Weight Training
Written Monday - 11/04/24 07:25 AM
I'm trying a few things new today. First, but not foremost, I'm using the title
of this area for something more meaningful than Addendum. After all, everything
I write in this area turns out to be an addendum. I'm going to use it as a more
meaningful title for whatever I'm writing in this area.
Today, I changed up my weight training routine. I took a suggestion to reduce
the weights and slow down the reps just a bit. I'm going with the time under
tension strategy.
And man, do I ever feel the difference. In fact, it is having a dramatic effect
on my ability to type. It seems I'm having to go back and make a correction to
every other word.
Seems the TUT principle (Time Under Tension) is going to be a good thing as
was promised. I've already applied another suggestion (the HIIT principle)
which stands for 'High Intensity Interval Training.' I applied my own
modification to the idea and am very pleased with the results.
Grocery Pickup Day
Published for Monday - November 04, 2024
Written Sunday - 11/03/24 06:15 AM
Well, as noted in the title of this post and as I write, today is grocery pickup day. I'm recovering from all of the Mexican eating I did yesterday.
I added a pound yesterday and will need to go very light today because I will probably be adding some more tomorrow during the voting returns. I'm already very near the top of my range, so adding anything is not a good thing at this point. As always, we've already got pickup pizza (the good kind) on the list of things to consume during the much anticipated election returns.
The big question remains whether or not Trump will win. I still say he will and am joined by a number of prognosticators on the Fox News channel. They're about as biased as any of the other channels except in the opposite direction.
I still find it difficult to believe that it is supposed to be close. Surely people do not want four more years of what we've had for the last almost four years.
But then again, Trump tends to say some very dumb things that are far from what anyone would expect him to say (or for us to have to tolerate.) I guess I'm voting (day after tomorrow) for policies as opposed to his behaviors and (sometimes more than strange) comments.
I hope voters in our country will see the value in this approach and not be swayed by other (less important) factors. I guess we'll see.
2024 Alabama State Championship Marching Band Competition
Published for Sunday - November 03, 2024
Written Saturday - 11/02/24 06:40 PM
Pictured above is the JSU Marching Southerners Band.
As I write the band competition just ended earlier today. As I publish the time is the same.
We didn't stay long enough to see how Jonathan's group did, but we did get to see them perform and we also took Jon out for a Mexican meal that was enjoyed by all.
We made our way around Jacksonville, Alabama and dropped Jon off at a place where he could make his way around the campus and see how things have changed since he lived there.
We also did not take any pictures since it was a rather dark field with the shade from the building behind us. I captured a picture of the stadium from the internet as can be seen above with the JSU Band on the field.
Jonathan's band was just promoted this year from a 5A to a 6A category since the school is larger and now qualifies as a 6a school. Patty and I saw all of the 6a bands but skipped the 7a's with the JSU closer and the awards ceremony. Jon indicated that he was really looking forward to his students seeing the JSU band perform, because of the impact it had on him.
I'm sure it will have a similar impact upon his students and will go far with his drumline since he also performed on the JSU snare line some years ago.
A Day With Jonathan and His Marching Band
Published for Saturday - November 02, 2024
Written Tuesday - 10/29/24 07:25 AM
As I write it's well ahead of the topic. But, as I publish, well, it's right on the topic.
On November 2 (which is way down the road but still the date about which I'm writing) we are planning to join Jonathan and his band at the JSU football field. Off the top of my head, I have no idea what the competition is. But I'm sure it is a competition of one sort or another.
I'll try to add the name of the competition as an addendum to this post, once I find out what it is. I also want to take some pictures and will post them when they are ready. In fact, I just looked it up online and this will be the official Alabama Marching Band Championship Contest.
Patty and I are really looking forward to seeing Jonathan's Marching Band and being able (afterward) to spend some time with Jonathan. All in all, it promises to be a great day.
Addendum:
Written Thursday - 10/31/24 03:35 PM
Well, I mentioned yesterday about my fear of deleting something that I might
need in the future. That was exactly the potential case in a situation upon which
I ran up against.
I went back and changed something in a post. It was actually a pretty big change
that I made. I did something that I had done before but had to figure our how it
was that I did it originally.
In the post published on October 30, 2024, I went back and added the capability
to click on any one of the photos in that post to be able to see a larger version
(the original version) of that image. However, in doing so I created a problem.
That's because I only created that change in the test version of my blog (which
I did not delete as mentioned earlier.) I needed to add that feature to the
other file (in producion) which I had saved, but now it was only present in the
test version of my system.
Fortunately I did not delete my test system and was able to copy and paste the
change to apply it to the production backup I had created earlier. This spared
me the agony of having to remind myself how to make the change and making it
once again.
Bottom line, I'm glad I did not delete something (due to my changes in my new
testing process) that I would wind up needing once again. In a manner of speaking,
that new change has already paid for itself.
Note to self: This all came about because I went back and changed something that
was already in production. That's the real reason I had to jump through hoops.
That was supposed to be the purpose for the addendums but it wouldn't have
helped in this case. I guess if I want to avoid jumping through hoops I need to
avoid changing something that is already in production.
Even avoiding late changes to production, this transition was a lot smoother
than previous transitions to a new month. I was able to do a lot of preparation
with the new methodology instead of leaving so many of the production changes
to the date of the cut-over and a incurring a higher risk of one or more bad
changes to production.
New Month
Published for Friday - November 01, 2024
Written Tuesday - 10/29/24 06:55 AM
It's funny, but I have a very difficult time deleting my test system. in the conversion to the new month. That's because it's about all the evidence I have of the entries for the previous month.
Even though I've already copied the file and inserted the copy in a place where it can be used again and again, well, it's just hard to delete it. Anyone who has served in a capacity where you are responsible for things, well, you just learn never to delete anything unless you have a good backup somewhere.
Even with a backup, it's still difficult (if not impossible) to delete. So, I'm trying something different this month. I'm adding the days from the new month to the test file - the one containing the entries to the previous month.
This way, I don't get caught up trying to convert to the new month without hurting or losing anything. This new methodology I'm using is a more simple and safe way of doing things in the conversion to a new month and the associated posts.
And that's all it really is. Just a new methodology, not a new use of any hardware or software changes.
One thing is for sure, the conversion to the new month won't be as risky as in the past. The new methodology will ensure it.
I'll be able to convert to the new month while adding 'old' to the current file names. Then, I can delete them once I'm sure an alternate is in place and working well.
Copyright © 2025 Hutch DeLoach