My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on January 3, 2020

As far as one of my biggest investing mistakes goes — buying General Electric ($GE) “after their initial collapse in 2017” – I am hoping this next year “might” be a year of true recovery (pre-posting over lunch on Thursday January 2, 2020)?

Of course that is yet to be, but 2019 was at least promising since the stock may have at least found a bottom. The culture has supposedly changed and management under CEO Larry Culp has made progress on controlling cost and shedding poorly performing units. Debt is still a problem and their once great GE aircraft engine segment is likely feeling the pinch from Boeing’s ($BA) 737 MAX problems.

All in all, the analysts who initially calculated the value of GE’s pieces at $9-$11 per share seem to have been correct (at least until the next recession hits – yikes!). As someone who started to pick up shares under $17 and buying the final few shares at $9.25 … I’m happy 2020is  finally seeing shares trading over $11.50.

General Electric (ticker: GE) isn’t in the Dow Jones Industrial Average any longer. It was removed in 2018. Walgreens (WBA) was given its place. Still, given the year that GE had, Barron’s thinks the iconic American manufacturer deserves its own review. It was a good year for GE shareholders. But to keep it going in 2020, CEO Larry Culp must continue to make progress on costs and culture.

GE shares started off the year at $7.57, down more than 80% from all-time highs. In August, forensic accountant Harry Markopolos — the man credited with uncovering the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme — said the company was willfully cooking its long-term-care insurance accounting books. GE denied the allegations and the stock recovered all losses in about a month.

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Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: finance, ge, general electric, investing, markets, planning, retirement, stock, trading

Posted By RichC on January 2, 2020

Every once in a while, a story about cars and history (my memories) catches eyeballs. One such story in Hemmings Motor News last year did that for me in part because my dad had a 1972 Ford Pinto and because the Mt. St. Helens eruption in May of 1980 was a big deal news story. Both were captured and captivating in this photo taken by Dick Lasher.

A towering plume of ash rises in the distance of the photo, swirling with menace and threat, lightning arcing within it. As if to accent the peril, the canyon of trees that frame the gray clouds themselves have gone dark toward their tops, occluded by unseen looming clouds of ash. One shaft of morning light still reaches the lower branches of the trees, splashing over a cut of greenery and the least probable thing in the photo: a red Ford Pinto with a blue dirt bike hitched to its bumper, angled across a forest road.

Even if you haven’t been up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory near Mt. St. Helens, where one of the most puzzling photos of the volcano’s May 1980 eruption is prominently displayed, you’ve no doubt seen the photo circulating on the Internet, stripped of all context save for the date and location. You’ve also no doubt wondered who took the photo, what were they doing up there in the first place, and whether they made it out alive. We did too, so we set out to dig for what answers we could. Some came easy; others not so much.

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Category: Automotive, History, Memories, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: automotive, eruption, ford, hemmings, History, Memory, mt st helens, pinto, story, volcano

Posted By RichC on January 1, 2020

We’re not getting any younger … and in my case, I’m a bit more conscious of age creeping into my decision-making process. Things I did years ago like heavy lifting, working under a car then jumping up and back down after retrieving a required tool … or even the enjoyable laying down on the floor to play with my granddaughter like I did with Katelyn and Taylor in my 30’s … it is not nearly as easy or as automatic as it once was. Thankfully, I’m still in good shape (for 60 years young), but I definitely notice that it is not as easy as a decade ago.

On a positive note, I felt better in 2019 than in 2018, thanks in part to a focus on eating a little bit healthier and “trying” to to be a bit more active. The gift of a Fitbit this summer helped too, since it reminds me just enough (not annoyingly) to be more active. I may not always hit the magic 10,000 steps (see below break), but it helps having a target and goal. Since starting with the Fitbit in July, my weight is down and I physically notice the difference in my energy level and how I feel. I’m sure having a positive outlook and being a little more active helps, but suspect being a little more focused on eating healthier makes a difference too.

So with that, I’m making it my New Year’s Resolution to continue to focus on being active and hitting the 10,000 steps per day target … but will add a semi-healthy eating plan in 2020 to move closer to a Mostly Plant-Based (MPB) diet in following the advice of Dr. Michael Greger – info found in his two books: How Not to Die and How Not to Diet.

Obviously the “semi” means that I’m still planning to eat meat and some of the “not so good for me” foods (sugars, processed and fast foods), but I will make a concerted effort to add more from the whole food and mostly plant-based list. I’ve already asked Brenda to include a few more fruits, some new fruits and vegetables and some legumes that are currently non-existent in most meals.

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Category: Advice, Food, Holiday, Medical, Misc, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: eating, exercise, fitbit, goals, healthy, how not to die, how not to diet, michael greger, new year, plan, plant-based, reflection, resolution

Posted By RichC on December 31, 2019

While getting the Christmas decorations for Evergreen Farm Estates down from the poolhouse-garage loft earlier this month (Brenda and neighbor Pam have always decorated our neighborhood) …  I spotted the yard game of Jarts. (you probably need to be a baby boomer to remember them?)

What were they thinking???

Just as with the “design of the ironing board” invention (see Brian Regan comedy reenactment ), this is one of those games that has to make you wonder … were the inventors really just concerned with “overpopulation?”

I can still remember tossing them up in the air as high as we could, then running like crazy to get out of the way. It’s a wonder  we made it to adulthood?

Below the break is a repost of a 2008 video from the early days of YouTube – oh, and Happy New Year’s eve and good bye to another decade.

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Category: Human Interest, Humor, Memories, Recreation, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: brian regan, christmas, decorations, Humor, inventions, jarts, mp4, video, youtube

Posted By RichC on December 30, 2019

Here’s a #7 hit in 1977 (which has me thinking of American Top 40 and Casey Kasem) way back in the year I graduated high school.

The song was “I Go Crazy” song by Paul Davis, who “looks like one of the Allman Brothers” as the late Ricky Nelson comments at the beginning of the VH1 video. The quality is what it was for the time, but still enjoy hearing the music and archiving the video.

Good memories and a great way to wind down the Music Monday posts for the decade. See you in 2020.

Category: Memories, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: 1977, allman brothers, casey kasem, decade, i go crazy, mp4, Music, music monday, musicmonday, paul davis, ricky nelson, video

Posted By RichC on December 29, 2019

This content is restricted.

Category: Faith, Human Interest, Personal, Photos, Quotes | No Comments »
Tags: ambassador, annalyn, christ, christian, christmas, discipleship, evangelism, new year, purpose, self-focused, thoughts

Posted By RichC on December 28, 2019

Instead of cleaning the workshop as I was planning, I  ended up sidetracked. Nothing new about that.

Since each time I pull the plywood box full of “short cuts and scraps” out from next to the miter saw, it is as if I’m dragging a 100 pound box with sandpaper on the bottom across the tile floor. So when I started to clear off the top of the  workbench, I notice unused conveyor rollers  (planned for the table saw extension) … and thought, “Hm, I can put this on the bottom of the box so it rolls easier?” Four 1” pocket holes in some scrap plywood later … and I still have a workshop yet to clean!

Also … it has been super warm and our snow has melted away … except for the north side of buildings and the front of our house (shade). Not quite the photo from a couple weeks ago, but the house still looks nice and finally has all the wreaths in the windows!

Category: Personal, Photography, Photos, Productivity, Tools, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: conveyor, house, Photos, projects, rollers, scraps, wood, woodworking, workshop, wreath

Posted By RichC on December 27, 2019

Since I’m often asked what kind of fuel economy I’m getting on my slightly “tweaked” 2010 BMW X5 35d diesel SUV, here’s the yearly update from my log on Fuelly.com.

Nothing to write home about, but then there have been far more local trips than the interstate driving a few years ago … besides, my driving has become a bit more aggressive (heavier foot). Years ago when I was  focused on biodiesel and working a bit harder to keep my overall fuel economy up, I might have been able to move closer to 24 mpg … but still, a 23.6 overall average is pretty good for a 2-1/2 ton SUV … and not all that much different than 2018.

Category: Archive, Biodiesel, BMW, Diesel | No Comments »
Tags: BMW, diesel, driving, economy, fuel efficiency, fuelly, log, tracking, x5 35d

Posted By RichC on December 26, 2019

While sifting through a few old .MP4 files, I found one of my first iPhone 5 test video clips from 2012 and it had a bit of footage of my Sonex airplane project (posted a few photos back then) that I was working on a year before selling it. It was shortly before I sold it. Anyway it was interesting for me to see and archive on the blog for posterity and Throwback Thursday #TBT. (hard to believe the iPhone 5 only cost me $212.49!)

Category: Archive, Aviation, Cellphone, Memories, TBT, Video | No Comments »
Tags: airplane, aviation, eaa, homebuilt, memories, mp4, project, sonex, TBT, video

Posted By RichC on December 25, 2019

UPS for the win! (wait for it)  Fedex and USPS better step up their game!

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

Category: Business, Holiday, Humor, Video | No Comments »
Tags: ani gif, christmas, delivery, fedex, gif, Humor, package, ups, usps