RichC | April 30, 2017
The BMW X5 35d is still without a new battery as the replacement batch is still not available to ship. I’m hoping the new mid-May date for delivery will not be postponed again. Last week just as I was running out the door for the airport, the car would not start again. Seemed to have […]
RichC | April 29, 2017
Just as I was beginning to “once again” ponder the wisdom of keeping our sailboat in Florida while still working, taking care of a home and being pulled in different directions … an early morning walk back to Encore reminded me that it is healthy to slow down, de-stress and appreciate the daily paintings He makes for […]
RichC | April 28, 2017
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RichC | April 27, 2017
Once a cloud-computing software security darling, FireEye has taken it on the chin and then some. Concerns still abound, but from most accounts, a bottom in stock price may have been found. It is particularly encouraging that Goldman’s Gabriela Borges, a software security analyst, has issued a “buy” recommendation and believes the stock will rally 18% […]
RichC | April 27, 2017
After borrowing my daughter’s Nook, and my friends Kindle, I finally have my own ereader — thanks to MyDesultoryBlog readers and discreet Google Ad clickers. I now can travel and read comfortably without disassembling the keyboard off my iPad Air2 and "hefting" the much heavier and larger tablet in front of my face. My second-hand […]
RichC | April 26, 2017
CNBC posted a simple chart in their article looking at #taxreform, cuts and simplification as to what deductions might be eliminated.
RichC | April 26, 2017
What a start to the week for the stock market! There is optimism that something "will" get done with taxes, unlike #RepealAndReplace legislation. The news is that President Donald Trump will be unveiling his proposal to cut corporate taxes on US companies’ foreign profits and slash the top tax rate has investors in the "buy" […]
RichC | April 25, 2017
The granite countertops were installed last week, still putting us a couple of weeks from having a usable kitchen as the construction continues to crawl along (no plumbing, cooktop, backsplash, trim, electrical or paint). It is tough being without a functioning kitchen and washing up dishes in the laundry room is getting old … but […]
RichC | April 24, 2017
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RichC | April 23, 2017
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RichC | April 22, 2017
My favorite news network shared 20 excellent tips for saving money (by Daniel Kline, who writes for the Motley Fool). I highlight a favorite below. Saving money takes discipline It means forgoing things you want and making tough choices, which can be tough in our consumption-focused society. However, saving money can make it easier to […]
RichC | April 21, 2017
Here’s a quick slideshow of photos updating the granite countertops to our kitchen remodel after they were installed this past week. Thankfully every measurement was “spot on” and the install went without a hitch (the photos make them look a lot darker than they really are). A couple photos show a sample of the new […]
RichC | April 20, 2017
My apology for ignoring the blog these last couple of days, but duty calls when servers and networks go down for my clients … yes, for MyDesultoryBlog too. I’m red-eyed and frazzled, but hopefully by the end of the weekend all will return to normal on new hardware, but we’ll see as the tweaks continue.
RichC | April 19, 2017
My friend Jeff and I try to get together for a Friday lunch once or twice a month. We often discuss work, politics and management, particularly as it relates to his job and potential advancement … although we recognized the limited number of years for that second part. Anyway, one of the books he is […]
RichC | April 18, 2017
… the IRS bite feels just the same.
RichC | April 17, 2017
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RichC | April 16, 2017
With the buds and flowers popping this Easter weekend around Cincinnati, a sunny morning was a great opportunity to put the lesser used prime lens on my new Four Thirds Lumix GX8 camera. The 14-140 stabilized zoom is usually on my camera for convenience, but today I suspect the slightly faster f1.7 prime lens might be sharper […]
RichC | April 15, 2017
Standing up for your own views is a good thing. Recognizing the views and values of others is a great thing. Coming together in respect for others is much too rare a thing … but it is likely the only way we’ll find peace while living here on this earth. Whether or not you accepted […]
RichC | April 14, 2017
Last week someone asked me about my large screened notebook, the 15.6″ Lenovo Yoga 710 with an Intel i5-7200U CPU (2.50GHz), 8 GB memory and a rather smallish 256GB SSD. The question was whether I would recommend it. The answer is yes … if you can live with a couple small nits that I have […]
RichC | April 13, 2017
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RichC | April 12, 2017
It’s not exactly pristine landscaping this year at the Corbett abode, but seeing the rapidly growing grass and spring flowers popping out feels good. This is the first year that I recall actually missing winter.
RichC | April 12, 2017
Although this seems a tad bit goofy … as a backpacker, cruising sailor, vagabond traveler … there are occasions where water is limited or a proper bathroom facility is non-existent that this could come in handy.
RichC | April 11, 2017
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RichC | April 10, 2017
While listening to background music this past weekend (working on taxes), it became an easy decision post something on music. Next … decide which group and song to include without repeating something mentioned before on My Desultory Blog? How about Three Dog Night??? The rock band was not necessarily in my record (or cassette tape) […]
RichC | April 9, 2017
Survey and ratings systems are a pet peeve of mine ever since finding out many places that use a rating scale (like 1- 5 or 0 – 10), will only count a perfect score as suitable to reward, complement or evaluate service, products and employees in a positive way. I’ve even stopped trying to offer […]
RichC | April 8, 2017
As happens every year, a "not so bright" woodpecker decides to wake us up by pecking on our chimney cap. The noise resonates down the flue and can be pretty loud in the house. Crazy Woody! But since I’ve been wanting to experiment with my relatively new Lumix GX8 and long lens (a 100-300mm zoom), […]
RichC | April 7, 2017
At one time or the other, we have all started to pull our hair out while on the computer and said, “this is ridiculous, why doesn’t someone fix this!” Well after literally years of waiting for Google to do something about the “sensitive scroll feature” (or curse) when moving through the months in Google Calendar, […]
RichC | April 6, 2017
The banking giant Chase is not alone in their inefficiency — they mailed me a 1 cent check by first class mail (below) — since local Fifth Third Bank continues to send me a paper statement a decade after trying to close an old 529 college savings account. I’m not sure how many dollars have […]
RichC | April 5, 2017
As California Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA) excogitated his ideas and explained the slow progress of repealing and replacing Obamacare with Neil Cavuto, he quoted one of his late fellow Californians, Paul Masson, "We will sell no wine before its time." How apropos to healthcare reform (listen or watch below). That wasn’t the only smart saying […]
RichC | April 4, 2017
Although Pinterest isn’t my thing, it is a good place for "lookers" to collect ideas. One of the items yet to order for the kitchen upgrade will be counter height stools and my daughter, who is on maternity leave, said she would do some looking on Pinterest (whew, I don’t have to look there!). The […]
RichC | April 3, 2017
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RichC | April 2, 2017
The beginning of April is one of my least favorite times of the year … tax time … but for a couple reasons, next year should be better. This is the last FULL year to file for MomH and her trust return. We should see lower tax rates for 2017 (if retroactive?) Republicans are advocating to simplify […]
RichC | April 1, 2017
The “Trump Rally” as many have dubbed it, provided investors with solid quarterly gains as a brighter economic outlook offset the lackluster Washington DC agenda which has become bogged down in politics. Investors still believe job growth, better corporate financial returns and tax cuts will over shadow the Fed “applying the brakes” in the form of higher […]