Food for thought: “Marxism isn’t an ideology at all – it’s a tactic”

| March 12, 2024

Political ideology has always interesting me. I was aware of different philosophies early on since an intellectual best friend from high school was way to the left  and interested in Socialism and Marxism.   Charlie Matthews (Kamikaze) seemed like a leftover from the 1960s and even back in the 1970s and 80s supported the Marxist […]

Sloothing a college friend, a shoe throwing incident and a seagull

| February 11, 2024

While on vacation and walking the beach, Brenda threatened a bird with her sandal who was boldly getting a little to close to her while we were snacking on a granola bar. I laughed at her as the thought about ONE of the Christmas break trips to Florida with my college and a memory came […]

Living vicariously thru a friend’s international business travel

| January 24, 2024

Although the time difference makes instant text communication a little more challenging than usual in staying in touch with my buddy Jeff, I’m still enjoying the interesting business travel he is starting early in 2024.  I lost track of the number of countries will be in while making cybersecurity audits of client plants, but it […]

A wedding and reception with Katie and Jason Kirklin

| November 13, 2023

We attended and enjoyed the wedding for Taylor’s long time “birthday buddy” and grade school, high school and college friend Katie Gormas to Jason Kirklin in downtown Cincinnati this weekend. Beside a high traffic parking fiasco that almost made us late, the evening was very nice. Taylor and Megan arrived even a few minutes after us […]

Music Monday: Jimmy Buffett passed away peacefully at age 76

| September 4, 2023

Depressing for those of us who grew up in the Jimmy Buffett mindset and have enjoyed his music, concerts, ambitious lifestyle and attitude for our college and adult lives, but his passing on September 1, 2023 hit home. Unfortunately it is starting to feel like the norm (but 76 is way, WAY, too young)? I […]

An ebook and two photos from my friend Jeff for #TBT

| August 17, 2023

My friend Jeff and I regularly talk about the books we are reading over lunch or on the back porch (too infrequent though) and he sent me one to read last week.  I told him I would start as soon as I finished Pappy Boyington’s “Baa Baa Black Sheep” that I’m thoroughly enjoying. “Conservatism, A […]

Discussing AM radio with a journalist friend and a very funny John Pinette video snippet #TBT

| July 20, 2023

An automotive journalist friend of mine regularly promotes his radio appearances on Chicago’s talk radio, which often leads to discussions regarding radio in general. Often the thoughts are to broadcast radio, both AM and FM, verses streaming via an Internet signal (or perhaps satellite)? One thing lead to another and I reflect on my amateur […]

Recipe reminiscing, the lost art of handwriting and longer days

| January 5, 2023

A little bit of recipe reminiscing for Throwback Thursday #TBT this week. Over New Year’s Day, I enjoyed a “Bean Soup” recipe conversation with my daughter Katelyn. We discussed using the ham bone and pieces of ham from our Christmas dinner. I opted for a delicious Ham and Potato soup and froze a couple smaller […]

Music Monday: Henry Gross singing Shannon in 1976

| December 26, 2022

Who doesn’t love those “one hit wonders?” Henry Gross had one call “Shannon” in 1976, which is probably why I remember it. It was a #1 hit in Canada and New Zealand, but reached #6 in the U.S. on Billboard Hot 100. It was played on the SiriusXM’s 70son7 channel last week and triggered a […]

Archive: Old photos found from my ONU college days #TBT

| December 15, 2022

First up, is a rainy photo of the second car that I rebuilt … but this 1974 Capri was really my first car since I bought it with my own money (paid $600 at a junkyard in 1978). The car I think of as my first car would be a 1967 Ford Custom 500 (link […]

Archive: Promedica CEO Retirement and Succession Plan

| November 13, 2022

A little family hospital business … and related news to archive … as Randy Oostra (my daughter’s father-in-law) announced his retirement last month. It was something we knew was coming (mentioned to me in September), but was no doubt one of those decisions that a successful career driven person does not take lightly. I can […]

Belated Obituary: David George Schneider (1952 – 2022)

| November 5, 2022

The sharing of this obituary news is a month late in coming … partially due to the sudden shock … and partially due to not having the right words to share on my blog … but a friend of our family and Megan’s father, Dave Schneider, passed away on October 5, 2022. He was one […]

Obituary: Alton Gwynn Pitts (1926-2022) and finding the right words to comfort a friend on the passing of his father

| November 3, 2022

Although it was not unexpected, my long time friend Jeff‘s father passed away last week. It was the way we all would want to die … "peacefully in our sleep at home."  My memories of Alton Pitts are few since he lived in Florida, but the few I have are of kindness. I first met […]

Leftover family weekend photos and a Mud Hens game

| September 13, 2022

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Music Monday: Does Cincinnati still love Jimmy Buffett in 2022?

| July 25, 2022

An especially “cool” Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnati, Ohio was enjoyed by Taylor’s Megan and her Parrothead father Dave. As usual (except thru COVID), they were at the annual Riverbend concert and enjoyed the up close and personal and more intimate side of the concert. Dave Schnieder, a Cincinnati teacher and football coach all of […]

My old bowling ball: A memory-triggering time capsule #TBT

| June 2, 2022

The “bowling” comment I made a couple weeks ago triggered me thinking about what “junk” to put back in my office storage closet and what to toss. There are “functional” but OLD computers (with hard drives and too much CPP customer data), boxes of magazines … and more to the point … my old bowling […]

Are you a Coffee or a Tea drinker? Coffee for me, please!

| June 1, 2022

Who doesn’t enjoy of teasing friends back and forth over foodie items? Here’s one that I’m going to debate with my friend Jeff … as he has always been a “Tea drinker” and I’ve been a “Coffee guy.” I’ll start with my pro-military, flag-waving “patriotic Americans drink coffee” position, and I’m sure he’ll lay out […]

Birthday Book: “The Old Man and The Boy” by Robert Ruark

| May 24, 2022

My buddy Jeff Pitts is my go-to source for interesting books to read. For my birthday this year (we had lunch last Friday … a Mexican restaurant, of course), he gave me an older 1950’s era book by Robert Ruark called “The Old Man and The Boy.” I passed on reading my other books and […]

Books: “The House of Yan” by Lan Yan and personal tidbits

| May 5, 2022

Although I don’t know all that much more than what I read about China, the culture and history intrigues me. After moving to Sidney, Ohio in high school, I felt like a fish out of water since most kids grew up in town and had gone to school with each other their entire life. When […]

Another Mexican dinner with my friend Jeff and some humor

| February 9, 2022

Last week I had dinner with my buddy Jeff after taking him to pick up his car from a seat repair/re-upholstering job. He previously planned it so we could go to our “old” favorite Acapulco Mexican Restaurant (which is no longer tolerated as well in my digestive track as it was 20 years ago). He […]

Superbowl LVI bound Cincinnati Bengals are AFC Champions

| January 31, 2022

If there was ever a time to live in Cincinnati, Ohio … this year would be it! It has been a long time coming from hardcore Bengals fans, but the “youngsters” playing in the competitive field of NFL superstars on this particular team believe in themselves, their coach and their teammates. There isn’t much doubt […]

The many political ‘ISMs’ discussed in our culture today #TBT

| October 21, 2021

Every time I use political term with an “ism” these days, I sense I need to clarify the meaning as much as for myself as to the person I’m talking too. Often I’ll refer to an online resource in order to be sure that I’m not misspeaking … but usually its because the terms have […]

Lunch with Jeff, the economy, inflation and more nukes in China

| October 1, 2021

What once was a weekly or at least bi-monthly lunch with my friend Jeff, has shifted to once every 3 months or so since COVID19. It’s not all due to the pandemic as changes in work habits and eating out habits has contributed to neglecting getting together. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable to spend an hour […]

Mexican lunches, salsa, discussions, reading and a good friend

| June 6, 2021

For years now … no, it is now decades … my buddy Jeff and I have gone out for lunch ever other week and almost exclusively to a Mexican restaurant … primarily for the chips and salsa (and relaxed conversation). Before that, we lived in different cities (he in Florida and then Alabama … and […]

Prepping for summer and admiring a porch view from a friend

| June 2, 2021

Although I’ve enjoyed summertime on the beach ever since I was a little boy (we live on a beach), there is something relaxing about seeing the photo above that a friend sent me from his families rented beach house in North Carolina … it look very relaxing. The older I get, the more I enjoy […]

My new visual for the “blow your own horn [trumpet]” idiom

| April 15, 2021

John Rowe, an automotive friend on Twitter, often shares a “ Today’s Useless Tweet” that I find entertaining. It fit with the idioms tag on MyDesultoryBlog and thought his  “blow your own horn [trumpet]” (see below embedded tweet) would be fitting as a filler for today. Today’s Useless Tweet : 1972. 5th grade. Parents bought […]

Business change, server updates, an idiom & a friend’s new toy

| March 27, 2021

This past week was an on and off work week. I’ve been struggling to update software and the latest Linux flavor on an old server while telling myself “I’m getting too old for this.” Right or wrong attitude, I think keeping up with fast-paced technology change is a young person’s game. On the plus side, […]

Weddings and Nice Weather indicates Spring 2021 has arrived

| March 23, 2021

Besides what has become an annual photo of one of our lilac bushes pushing out buds, this past weekend was the first weekend of spring. Besides the new growth and greening lawn, we celebrated with our neighbors of 25 years, Pam and Jim by attending  their son’s wedding in Cincinnati. It was a beautiful wedding […]

Archive: The Howards and the Woodcocks in Florida #TBT

| February 18, 2021

A couple of weeks ago I shared a 1990s photo of Brenda’s dad with a close friend Hugh Woodcock and saw another one from 1997 to archive for a Throwback Thursday #TBT. Both MomH (2017) and DadH (2013) have passed away, but since Mrs. Woodcock (Ann) commented on my “snowy February stay-at-home” post, I figured […]

What goes around, comes around … and spins around

| January 31, 2021

This past Christmas, Megan ordered a fancier turntable for Taylor, which arrived this past week. He was excited set up his gift and shared the photos. It looks nice. It is hard to believe millennials have gravitated to vinyl record albums and turntables in this century, but like my friend Mark, my son Taylor enjoys […]

Music Monday: Lexington Lab Band does 1971 Chicago song

| January 25, 2021

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Thankful to have a long time friend like Jeff – #TBT photo

| December 31, 2020

I had lunch “out” this week with my good friend Jeff, although this routine has become very infrequent compared to previous years. Still, we had a chance to catch up, talk about politics (Ugh), the old-days backpacking in North Carolina (an old scanned photo for Throwback Thursday #TBT) … and I opened his cool gift […]

Eating out with a friend during COVID19 and an MMT discussion

| December 22, 2020

With only a handful of meals out during this COVID19 year with my buddy Jeff this past year, I’ve learned to appreciate them even more than usual. We’ve been having lunch together each month or so as a way to stay connected for decades and for me adjusting to just emails and text messages is […]

Promotional Products from an exciting Dot-Com start-up #TBT

| December 17, 2020

For Throwback Thursday #TBT this week I’ll include a couple photos from 1998 or 1999. These Soma.com photos are items from my friend Jeff sent to me when cleaning out his apartment. He (and my wife Brenda) were hired to build out the first Dot-Com era online Pharmacy … or at least the fulfillment facility. […]

Music Monday: Led Zeppelin and “Stairway to Heaven”

| November 30, 2020

Today’s Music Monday song is due to the minor chastising from my friend Mark Jones last week. He’s been picking up a few old albums for his record collection and to play on his Crosley record player mentioned before … and because I wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mark!  One […]

Remembering a couple 1970s TV shows and commercials

| November 24, 2020

A car enthusiast’s off-topic “Today’s Useless Tweet” got me thinking about old television shows that I enjoyed while growing up. I’m sure almost everyone my age flirts with nostalgia and can go on indefinitely with memories of their youth? His Banacek share (good show) and the George Peppard memory, which for me will always be […]

Music Monday: Gerry Rafferty and working on cars memory

| November 9, 2020

The music of the late Gerry Rafferty hasn’t appeared on Music Monday and I’m disappointed not to have yet included him in my heavily 70’s mix of musicians. Having to pick one song out for today’s listening is a challenge, but “Days Gone Down” (Night Owl) is a good one since it triggers a memory […]

Tech Friday: Playing with HUGO, a fast static site generator (SSG)

| October 30, 2020

While doing some “self” tech-oriented education this past week, I ended up distracted after a friend tweeted and shared some information on “static site generators (SSGs)” .. so off down the “HUGO” rabbit hole I went (thanks A LOT Scott, #sarcasm – LINK to his Hugo powered Bilik.Family website).     I’ve never really worked with any […]

My son Taylor has been busy professionally and personally

| October 10, 2020

As a dad who has always kept up and archived the “goings-on” with Taylor and Katelyn on MyDesultoryBlog, I realized that grandchildren steal the limelight most of the time … that is just the way it is. But … that doesn’t mean life doesn’t keep moving along for adult children in the work-a-day world either. […]

A semi-portable thickness planer for my woodworking shop

| September 27, 2020

When bragging that my latest sewing cart project had zero cost in it, I held off until the end of the post to mention that I was spending money and would post about that on Sunday. Well here it is: I bought my first planer; it’s a semi-portable DeWalt DW735, with the “X” option (extra […]

Music Monday: The Righteous Brothers – One For The Road

| August 17, 2020

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Archive: Remembering good times with my friend Jeff #TBT

| August 6, 2020

My friend Jeff has been part of my life since college and knows WAY too much about me … both good (which he conveniently forgets) and bad (which he’s remembers all too well). We’ve always have great times together, be it in Founders Hall dorm at ONU back in college or the many years after […]

Social networking with like-minded friends about cars and remembering camping with my family when growing up #TBT

| July 23, 2020

Having the comradery of social media friends who enjoy similar interests doesn’t necessarily replace face to face friendships, but at least during the Coronavirus pandemic it is a way to stay connected. There are a few of us like-minded car guys who sort of have an appreciation for the mundane cars and share stories, photos and […]

Music Monday: “Superstar” made popular by the Carpenters, but ..

| July 6, 2020

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Archive: Flying down and driving back from hurricane prep

| June 28, 2020

Flew on the airlines for the first time since COVID19 to Florida via Baltimore (photo BWI terminal above) last week and thankfully the flights and negotiating the airport was uneventful. Besides a computer glitch which backed up lines on check in, everything else went smoothly. It is yet to be seen if the rise in […]

Happy Birthday to my “aging” son Taylor

| June 10, 2020

Wishing my son a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today. I know he is getting older, but I don’t think he is THIS old yet. Yikes! A couple weeks ago Taylor sent a FaceApp photo with his college friends (a post from when they were backpacking together in Kauai). It is frightening how technology can add a […]

John Deere 330 maintenance and a few photos from a friend

| May 19, 2020

As mentioned on Sunday, the delayed Amazon shipment of the Kubota fuel pump set my maintenance and repair plans back a bit, but I did get around to replacing the previously substituted fuel filter in the John Deere 330. We mostly use the old John Deere diesel tractor for trailer duty (and snowblowing), but ever […]

Obituary: Doris Eggleston. An educator than made a difference.

| April 26, 2020

Some of us are fortunate in life to have had a few teachers take enough interest to make a difference. I suspect they inherently knew the positive influence a good teacher can make long after a student leaves their classroom. One such teacher, really an extra curricular advisor for me, was Doris Eggleston. Last week […]

Music Monday: Pandora streaming on the Brave Browser ad-free?

| April 13, 2020

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Was life really simpler when backpacking? #TBT

| April 2, 2020

With “stay at home” orders issued for 3/4 of the U.S. population, my good friend Jeff Pitts has been obeying the directive and working from home. It is also giving him time to do those “I’ll get to it someday” chores like cleaning out a spare room and finally throwing stuff away. One of the […]

All things RMS Titanic … now you know the rest of the story

| March 11, 2020

My friend Jeff gave me a couple “used” books for Christmas this year after we talked last year about our favorite authors and books over the decades. Sloan Wilson, of “Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” fame, also wrote several World War II US Coast Guard and Merchant Marine novels that both of us read […]

Protecting privacy with a web browser – a BRAVE new world

| March 6, 2020

My buddy Jeff Pitts, who has recently moved from IT to  a job focused exclusively on cybersecurity for a worldwide company, tends to error on the side of caution when it comes to privacy practices. He has moved entirely to the Mac (we used to have a  fun debate when he was a 100% PC […]

Prayers for medical issues have been on my mind this week

| February 7, 2020

The week started with heartache. A  funeral for our neighbors son. That was followed by my friend Jeff heading to be with his dad’s wife Thelma in Orlando after a fall. (his dad is 93 and she is 90). It looks as if Jeff with be soon trying to figure out their care and living […]

Obit: Cody Estes, a neighbor our kids grew up with dies at age 31

| February 2, 2020

I cannot imagine the anguish a parent faces when losing a child. ☹️ Our family has known the Estes as neighbors since we moved to Cincinnati. Our kids grew up with their kids. From playing in the neighborhood, to 12+ years of school together.  As my son Taylor said to me when remembering Cody, “he […]

Wishing my long time best friend Jeff Pitts, a Happy Birthday!

| November 2, 2019

As we joke every year, Jeff has finally caught up to me in age … and is now 60 years old (he is 6 months younger than me). We do enjoy kidding each other and I know my life would not be as full without him around. He has most definitely in my life for […]

Enjoying a nice drive, good weather and undeserved friendship

| September 22, 2019

Made my favorite “good weather” drive this past week on I-40 through Tennessee and North Carolina (photo above) and visited my undeserved friends Mark and Dar Jones who recently moved to a new townhouse outside of Savannah, Georgia. What a comfortable place for both of them … offering “walk-ability” for Dar with her limited eyesight […]

How-To: A workshop tidbit for accurately drilling shelf pins

| September 21, 2019

While talking with my good friend Mark Jones about accurately drilling pin holes to mount a few glass shelves in a tight space, he gave me a great idea to use a piece of peg board to align all the holes accurately. Thanks Mark, a great tip! But in my case, I didn’t have a […]

Premium Rapeseed Cooking Oil for Taylor from Duchess Farms

| June 19, 2019

My son Taylor has a friend who runs a farm in the UK that he visited with back in 2015. Besides the bachelor pad in a barn with collectable British and Italian sports cars, he also grows and processes rapeseed oil for cooks and unique restaurants.  The Duchess Oil brand is not available in the […]

Call me paranoid, but it feels impossible to secure computers

| June 16, 2019

My good friend Jeff Pitts, a network and IT expert, and most recently IT cybersecurity expert, constantly update me with the latest threats to computer servers. He manages the computers and networks for a Cincinnati-based international company that is constantly under bombardment from hackers. Most of the attacks are directly from China and according to […]

Good times and memories with a great friend for #TBT

| March 21, 2019

My friend Jeff Pitts has been my closest friend ever since our college years at Ohio Northern University (also the only guest blogger so far). Besides college, he was on my bachelor party trip, years and years of hiking and camping … including a great trip to the Canadian Rockies with my son Taylor, who has […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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