My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 3, 2026

Sometimes listening to SiriusXM triggers me to thinking, “have I’ve posted on this before?” In this case I did … and not that long ago. Hm .. to post or not to post again? ☹️

Since I’ve already snipped the iPhone screenshot and started this Music Monday post,  I guess I’ll continue. Besides, its an memorable enough Albert Hammond song (co-written by Mike Hazlewood) to include a second time. As I was prepping the audio recording from 1972 and checking on my previous comments, I decided instead that the YouTube video offered a little visual … so I’ll include it instead.

Enjoy “It Never Rains In Southern California” … even if California in 2026 as plenty of other problems (besides, it has been raining). 

Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: albert hammond, music monday, musicmonday, siriusxm, wikipedia, youtube

Posted By RichC on August 2, 2026

It was great to catch up with each of my nephews and nieces … and their now many children … during last week’s family reunion at a Hocking Hills lodge. The cousins gelled as if they were never apart … almost as if no time elapsed. BUT … they are now the parents of the next generation of our family. For me, it was eye-opening to see my oldest granddaughter (9) entertaining her younger cousins (almost a babysitter) OR to realize my nephew Justin’s daughter was on a summer mission trip in Africa!

Speaking of Justin (photo above), he had just finished up an interview with Minnesota Public Radio for NPR and answered listener questions on gastrointestinal issues and other medical concerns. I was thankful to have him put me at ease after my surgery and “seemingly slower than expected recovery.”  He was able to “ok” our canoeing (Brenda and I didn’t dunk) and short hiking in Hocking Hills. We  are so proud of him as a father, husband and great doctor (Dr. Justin Howard, MD).

MPR News with Angela Davis – Kyra Miles and Maja Beckstrom – July 22, 2026 
More than just tummy trouble: Crohn’s disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome

*** The interview might be worth listening to if you experience or have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, colitis, IBD or IBS — way too many of us (IBS for me). 😉  

Category: Archive, Audio, Health, Medical, News | No Comments »
Tags: family, gastroenterologist, hocking hills, justin howard, medical, minneapolis, minnesota, mpr, npr, radio, reunion

Posted By RichC on August 1, 2026

This past week our family on my wife’s side was fortunate to be able to almost ALL get together for a summer family reunion here in Ohio at Hocking Hills State Park. It was a semi-centrally located so that those from Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and a few locations in Ohio could drive to with their families. By my count we had 38 of us under one LARGE roof (a lodge with enough beds and amenities). 

There were few if any complaints and everyone had a really good time with pleasant summer weather for a canoe trip, hiking and most men golfing while the rest of us were hiking.

The dinner meals were split up between primary families and were excellent — nobody went hungry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger pile snacks. Perhaps the only items we ran low on were bottled water and cans of soda/pop?

The kids were of all ages and did great on hikes and even getting to bed on time which helped with the next day’s activities — having great parents helps. Katelyn and Drew brought their waterslide and Aaron and Lauren brought karaoke too … which were both big hits.

For me just a few days after my robotic inguinal hernia repair surgery left me pretty sore as there were just a few more complications than expected. Nevertheless, I still was able to enjoy canoeing and hiking … but no golf (thanks to the the little ones who kept our hikes short — whew!). And it was great to have Sarah too (photo with Taylor above).

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: archive, family, hocking hills, howard, reunion

Posted By RichC on July 31, 2026

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro lineup is already generating serious buzz. While the exterior might look familiar at a glance, early leaks point to some major upgrades under the hood. Here is a quick breakdown of the top five rumored features and what to expect.

1. A Staggered Release Schedule
   In an unusual move to maximize revenue, Apple may split the launch. The flagship iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and a brand-new foldable iPhone are expected to debut in September, while the base iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e might not arrive until Spring 2027.
2. Smaller Dynamic Island
   By moving select Face ID components beneath the display glass, Apple is reportedly shrinking the Dynamic Island. This means less obstruction and more usable screen space for gaming, videos, and reading.
3. Variable Aperture Camera
   Moving past fixed-aperture lenses, the new main camera may feature a physical opening that widens or narrows based on lighting conditions, offering superior control over light intake and depth of field.
4. Next-Gen 2nm “A20 Pro” Chip
   Built on a cutting-edge 2-nanometer process, the new A20 Pro chip promises massive performance and efficiency gains. Rumors also point to TSMC’s WMCM technology, which integrates RAM directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine.
5. Bigger Battery & “Dark Cherry” Color
   To power these upgrades, Apple is expected to slightly thicken the device to fit a larger battery. On the design front, alongside Black, Silver, and Light Blue, a stylish new Dark Cherry finish is tipped to be the standout viral color this generation.

Expected Pricing & Release
With component costs rising, leaks suggest a price hike for this year’s lineup:

iPhone 18 Pro: Rumored to start at $1,299
iPhone 18 Pro Max: Expected to start at $1,399

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apple, iphone, mashable, rumors, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on July 30, 2026

Some of my fondest memories as newlyweds  come from looking at these photos from 1982. The little red brick farmhouse was our first starter home in Aurora, Ohio ($54,900). It was unique in more ways that one:

1. A one-lung pump (clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk) and heavy iron well-water that turned Brenda hair red (eventually we replace with city water and sewer).
2. We also had a Maytag wringer washer that came with the house do our laundry.
3. The old oil furnace was replaced in our second year … partially with a homemade woodstove and an eventual a $700 gas line and a new natural gas furnace.
4. Built a 10 x 12 ft deck off the rear so we could entertain outside.
5. Steps to the basement from in the garage … which was something we carried over into our new house. 
6. The garage became a workshop and a place I started printing.

All in all, we were fortunate to be able to acquired the existing mortgage at 12% when others were paying 18%. We lived here for 5 years, had baby Katelyn in 1986 and eventually moved one town over to Hudson, Ohio. 

*** Also, being a car guy, Brenda drove 1978 Chevy Monza wagon ($3800 new and when she bought it new — very functional) … and I drove an economical 1977 Honda Civic (a rebuildable).

Category: Automotive, Honda, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: aurora, Chevrolet, honda civic, house, monza, ohio, red brick, starter home, TBT

Posted By RichC on July 29, 2026

What’s a person to do with old OBD reader that no longer does what I need it to do? 

I have a Carly for BMW WiFi Adapter that was great for diagnosing, resetting codes, modifying options and replacing batteries. Unfortunately it is no longer supported and the scanner is subscription based and a bit more that I would like to spend just to keep my older 2010 BMW X5 35d updated and running (I’ll likely still do it someday).

BUT … what to do with an old Generation 2 device? Are there still ways to use it … perhaps open source???

Category: Automotive, BMW, Diesel, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: BMW, carly, diagnosis, obd, reset, scanner, x5 35d

Posted By RichC on July 28, 2026

Back row: Chris, Dad H, Mom H, Ann, Jerry, Middle row: Mark, Brenda, Lynda, Aaron,
Front row: Ben, Justin, David and Rich (1985??? click for larger)

Brenda and I are anxiously awaiting getting together with our extended Howard family after a long stretch of not really seeing everybody. There was a time we were together twice a year EVERY year (and special occasions), but as all family do, our children grow up and start their own families — all great! Still, I do miss the old days of getting together and realize just how fortunate I have been to have married into a great family and having had MomH and DadH as in-laws. 

Family reunion aside (I suspect more will be posted), I did try again to scout out charging location in my wife’s hometown “IF” we take her 2019 Tesla Model 3 on a road trip to Western NY. I really don’t think it is going to happen … but I’m entertaining the thought of checking with Turo if we were to rent a newer Model Y for the extended range test? How crazy would that be???

The 20th-ish annual ‘Howard Bowl’ football game – no injuries this year!

Category: Automotive, Memories, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: family, howard, jamestown, new york, reunion, roadtrip, turo