My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2025

In September 2025 we finally decided to update the gutter on the detached garage (we call it the poolhouse) to match our house from 2019. Unfortunately it was a semi-forced issue as there was some poor workmanship on one of the downspouts on the house that needed repaired. We thought our Gutter Shutters had a lifetime warranty against defects and workmanship … BUT the franchise in Cincinnati went out of business and the company that handles the accounts (and uses their same phone number) would not honor the warranty (and wanted $399 to come out and look at the problem — shady business practice).

After some back and forth with the corporate franchiser and franchisee, we came to an agreement to add the matching gutters to our poolhouse, repair the defective downspout and loose soffit and extend the previous Gutter Shutters warranty to the new company called Gutter Solutions Tri-State.

It still didn’t make me happy, but what is done is done and we now have new gutters on the poolhouse. Is our poolhouse roof next to go???

Category: Business, Photos, Repairs | No Comments »
Tags: downspouts, gutter shutter, poolhouse, repair, shady, soffit, warranty

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2025

Read an article on the NPR blog about “Dark Tourism.”  

Dark Tourism has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy. (link)

It was a new term to me (but shouldn’t be) … and as someone who reads a significant number of books on World War II, should have probably known more about it? Check out Greg Rosalsky’s article titled “Hitler’s bunker is now just a parking lot. But it’s a ‘dark tourism’ attraction anyway” included below. 

Tourists gather at a parking lot in the center of Berlin, Germany. Greg Rosalsky/NPR 

BERLIN — On a Wednesday afternoon in late August, I traveled to a tourist attraction in the heart of Germany’s capital. If I had no context, it would have seemed like a really weird place for tourists to congregate. It’s a parking lot, surrounded by apartment buildings. On one side is Mimi Tea, a boba tea shop that has a cutesy cartoon bear on its storefront.

But the tourists don’t come here for boba tea. They come here because buried beneath this dull patch of pavement lies the remains of a dark place of historical significance. It was underground here that, 80 years ago, one of the world’s most infamous villains swallowed a cyanide capsule and fired a bullet into his brain. It was here that Adolf Hitler spent his last living moments.

The site is known in German as the Führerbunker, a subterranean bomb shelter that the Nazis built to protect their leader and his top henchmen from air raids during World War II. They built the bunker underneath the Reich Chancellery, a building complex that served as the Nazi government’s headquarters.

The Reich Chancellery is long gone. Aboveground, there is no visible evidence that this place was once important, except a blue information plaque with a drawing of Hitler’s bunker and a whole lot of text in tiny font.

I grabbed a boba tea and watched as swarms of tourists, sometimes led by tour guides, came to this site, squinted to read the plaque, and stared at a parking lot. Many tourists come here and get disappointed.

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Category: Blogs, History, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: dark tourism, europe, germany, hitler, npr, tourism, world war 2

Posted By RichC on September 8, 2025

Jackson Browne has always been on my go-to list when it comes to picking songs and listening to music. He was one of the first names added to my Pandora list back when it was just starting — Wow … that was 2006.

For Music Monday this week, here’s “Boulevard,” released on his album “Hold Out” in 1980.
 

Fun Fact: “Boulevard” was his first big radio hit after going more pop-rock. Also, a little live performance video from 1986 below the break.

Down on the boulevard they take it hard
They look at life with such disregard
They say it can’t be won
The way the game is run
But if you choose to stay
You end up playing anyway
It’s okay—
The kid’s in shock up and down the block
The folks are home playing beat the clock
Down at the golden cup
They set the young ones up
Under the neon light
Selling day for night
It’s alright—

(more…)

Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: boulevard, jackson browne, live, music monday, musicmonday, pandora, siriusxm, thebridge, wikipedia, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2025

There’s nothing like the frustration of going to the doctor and thinking they are being paid for what they are worth … but then getting a follow up “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) from your insurance company letting you know how much they were billed and how much YOU now owe. ☹️

Last month I finally went to see “the specialist” (higher copay than PCP) who had me walk into the room next to his examination room for an X-Ray (more on this at the bottom). No problem and as expected. I thought to myself that “I like it when a doctor has the equipment right in his office” and my Medicare Advantage insurer has a better negotiated rate for in-office and out-patient X-Rays. Of course … none of this is really known by the patient or is even something we sleuth ahead of time — I merely check to be sure the doctor is in-network.

Anyway I was efficiently seen by a competent foot specialist who glanced at the image said as if he was reading from a script, “stay off the foot and wear a boot.” I asked if I could just wear a “hiking boot or something” … since I knew the specialty boot wouldn’t be cheap … but the answer was no. So I was sent home with a medical boot (bill by another company)  and was told to wear for a month and see him again (follow up appointment and another co-pay and I’m sure bill). 

A few weeks later the bills begin to show up from the insurance company (EOB)  … FOUR separate charges to be precise … and each had the “full price charge” and then the “negotiated price” for in-network negotiated rate (all unknown unlike traditional Medicare according to AI). The full price is eyeopening and perhaps seeing the lower negotiated rate is supposed to make you feel better … it did not especially after seeing the Medicare rates (see below). 

BILLING FROM INSURANCE EOB STATEMENT:  (more…)

Category: AI, Financial, Health | No Comments »
Tags: artificial intelligence, boot, doctor, grok, injury, insurance, medicare, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on September 6, 2025

It is not as if I haven’t been watching … and whining about … inflation and what the US dollar buys these days, but until seeing comparisons that pit the US dollar against the average American’s family budget … it is harder to comprehend. Still we all know what we buy and how much everything costs … be it food, housing, autos, etc.  

But one chart that was shared online last week didn’t have to do with what we all buy each week, but reflect just how the value of a “dollar” has fallen in recent years compared to gold (a long time store of value — and likely a mistake in parting with miscellaneous junk back in 2010). A LOT has to do with the US Federal debt and deficit considering we are now $37+ TRILLION dollars in debt to those who hold our debt and eventually expect to be paid back with interest. If we can’t find buyers of our debt … print more money and offer buyers of our debt more interest. Yikes … I suspect we can see where this is heading. 

But … let’s say we get a handle on our Federal budget … and start using tariff income or increased tax revenue to pay down the TRILLIONs  we’re in debt (highly unlikely) … that means less money for government and all the pork Congress hands out. More likely, we’ll end up taking on even more debt and further devalue the US dollar. Congress and our Fed will “try” to maintain the status quo and if we are lucky,  tighten the nation’s belt. No doubt they will pinch citizens harder and  cut back on those expecting support from government. I’m just not sure how much the retiring generation or how more the next generation will take before revolting? 

I’m all eyes and ears looking for a brighter scenario … but don’t see it at the moment?

Category: Business, Financial, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: charts, deficit, dollar, gold, government, inflation, usdebt

Posted By RichC on September 5, 2025

This is not really new, but my ongoing battle with bots and blog bloat … especially the logs. Some of it is due to my aging WordPress theme … but most of it is due to the constant hammering of the server by bots from around the world. One option that I’ve been experimenting with is using Cloudflare to prevent them from even getting to the server and “bothering” PHP and WordPress plugins such as “Blackhole for Bad Bots” and “Wordfence.” 

BUT for the time being, I’m just complaining and clearing logs … scripting to clear logs … and dealing with the slowdowns as they occur. When it comes to me playing around with computers (and forgetting more than I learn), I prefer to do my risky tinkering with the Raspberry Pis that I’ve recently put back online — one running an image server at Brenich.com and the other experimenting a little more with Static serving with Hugo. Small hurdles for me. 😉 

Edit Add: Bid on and won an unboxed Raspberry Pi 4 – 8GB to replace one of my old Pi3s. Maybe I’ll tinker with it when the weather turns cold?

Category: Blogs, Computer, Raspberry Pi, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: bloat, bots, linux, mdb, raspberry pi, server, tech friday, techfriday, ubuntu, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on September 4, 2025

For today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT post, I’m adding a couple saved photos for a filler since I used a couple of these on social media thread (credits unknown). ☹️

The two “beautiful” photos appeal to me and work well this shortened holiday week AND keeps the Volkswagen category alive. I do miss the original VW Beetle and my TDI days. 

Category: Automotive, Photography, Photos, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: beetle, biodiesel, filler, photography, TBT, tdi, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on September 3, 2025

It has become an enjoyable habit – posting family photos from the previous weekend.

This past Labor Day, Megan, Taylor and their dog Gigi were over for the afternoon … and perhaps the last of the pool days (it has been cool for August and early September). We did the quintessential American hot dogs and hamburgers … and the not quite as typical, “grilled shrimp” – Megan is mostly a pescetarian (yes, I had to look that up). 

(more…)

Category: Archive, Food, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: backporch, backyard, family, frisbee, gigi, grilling, labor day, megan, pescetarian, pool, taylor, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on September 2, 2025

Last month the artistic skills of ChatGPT’s “Sora” artificial intelligence was experimented with in an attempt to emulate a favorite oil painting by my grandmother, Ruth Bluhm. It was “ok” but nothing to really get too excited about … after all, I have the original. 😉 

But … after looking at the 2024 post “May you have peace in your heart. Read Proverbs.” (above) popped up on the “Year(s) ago on this day” right hand column, I wondered if AI could create an oil painting that emulated my grandmother’s art? 

Category: AI, Art, Blogs, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: Art, artificial intelligence, chatgpt, oil painting, painting, ruth bluhm, sora

Posted By RichC on September 1, 2025

In keeping with the current summer of 1970’s music, I’ll add another one for this week’s Music Monday … as the summer semi-officially ends (Labor Day, right)???

This one definitely returns me to the ONU dorms and listening to music while studying in college (cough). I suspect most from my generation experience the same flashback when they hear Kansas and “Dust In The Wind.” It was one of those iconic songs coming out of what was debatably one of the best decades of music. 

The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 1978, making it Kansas’s only single to reach the top ten in the US. The 45-rpm single was certified Gold for sales of one million units by the RIAA shortly after the height of its popularity as a hit single. The song was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on November 26, 2019, which makes it the second song by the band to reach platinum after “Carry on Wayward Son” — a song that will soon make it’s way to Music Monday!

Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: dust in the wind, kansas, labor day, live, music monday, musicmonday, wikipedia, youtube