My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on April 18, 2018

I have teased my “good humored” son far too long about his “girlfriend” from Wayzata Minnesota a few years ago (click here for old photo). So with that “old joke” aside, I think it is about time to officially include his friend Megan on the blog and mention we are excited to see them spending a lot of time together.

Megan is not a new face to our family, as we’ve known her since she figure skated with my daughter Katelyn. Age-wise, Megan was younger than Katelyn … actually about Taylor’s age. The “skating gang” was often together since they practiced nearly every day before school and traveled to skating competitions. The skaters, their parents and siblings all became friends as part of the Queen City Figure Skating Club and many of us stayed in touch over the years.

As the kids all grew up, they headed off in different directions. Off to different colleges, meeting spouses and taking jobs in different cities. We remained friends with many of the parents and have included them in Christmas card exchanges as well as milestone celebrations. Megan’s mom was particularly notable for her extremely thoughtful and crafty gifts, cards, etc and made an effort to stay in touch. I’m not sure how Taylor and Megan reconnected since she is in Columbus and Taylor is in Cincinnati, but both Brenda and I are thrilled to see the two of them enjoying time together and dating.

This past weekend they attended the wedding of one of Taylor best friends and sent us a few photos (above) from the reception. Having known Alicia since grade school (???), Brenda and I wish both her and Laureano our congratulations (Married April 14, 2018).

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: alicia, archive, family, megan, taylor, weddings

Posted By RichC on April 17, 2018

Have you filed your income tax return yet? 2017 returns are due today!

While catching up on some reading while out of town this week, Jim Glassman, Head Economist at JPMorgan Chase, had me pondering (and tweeting) about the length of sustained growth that might be possible after the recession. He, and many others, have pointed out that “at 106 months, the current recovery has surpassed the prolonged economic expansion of the 1960s to become the second-longest period of sustained growth in recent history.” Those of us referencing history and noting the average of 7-8 years between recessions are starting to get a bit concerned. That said, the tepid recovering during the Obama years and business jolt due to tax cuts kicking in this years should be enough to keep the present business growth cycle going. Glassman’s analysis is that “The Recovery Still Has Room to Run.”

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Category: Business, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: Business, economy, Financial, growth, investing, jim glassman, jpmorgan

Posted By RichC on April 16, 2018

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Category: Music | No Comments »
Tags: bernie taupin, daniel, elton john, misinterpreted, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, vietnam

Posted By RichC on April 15, 2018

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Category: Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, ddj, family, gate, house, hudson, little tykes, ohio, project, safety

Posted By RichC on April 14, 2018

This past week has been a busy one for me. I was off to Florida for a few days to check on the condo in Delray Beach after our winter renter and to start the demolition of the kitchen. It is a project that is way past due and I’m not sure I know exactly what I’ve gotten myself into just yet?

The other priority was to move Encore to her new slip. I was fortunate have John and Cindy Parsons nearby on their boat Zola and available to lend me a hand with docking, It is not easy to singlehand a center cockpit sailboat when it comes to close quarters and docking. Thanks guys.

While at the condo, I noticed the Samsung TV was not filling the screen appropriately.  I picked up the "lone" remote by the TV and of course the cable box remote does not control those "Samsung settings" … then began the search for the appropriate remote (although it did give me a chance to go through a few drawers!) Low and behold, I found nice, yes NINE remotes at the condo for 2 TVs. Obviously a few of them wee for devices that are long gone — time to toss?

Beginning of "demo day" at the condo (iPhone pano of kitchen)

I was able to accomplish all of the demo of the kitchen, hauling away of the old appliances and busted up cabinets … AND started the new rewiring, blocking up of missing studs and new ceiling nailers for drywall. Not too bad for a guy working alone.

Back at the boat, I did a bit of cleaning and relaxed for the evening while storms passed before driving back home (photo above). While looking at things, I starting to notice age and the Florida sun weakening the Sunbrella dodger and bimini material so took a couple photos of areas that I "at least" need to patch … pronto.

Driving home, the 14-15 hours trip was uneventful … but the trip is getting longer each time I drive it. It is always good to see the Cincinnati skyline from Kentucky (photo below) and know I’m almost home and have a bed waiting for me.  It always feels good to be home, especially after a long drive.

Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, Sailing, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: condo1718, delray beach, demolition, encore, florida, kitchen, remodeling

Posted By RichC on April 13, 2018

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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, anniversary, drew, family, family. mp4, katelyn, marriage, video, walking

Posted By RichC on April 12, 2018

Since I needed to replace the “metal” plates on the old 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel this year, I’ve opted for the amateur radio registration. It did require submitting my General Class K4RDC call license, and $20 (??) extra, but figure it was a nice way to support both ham radio and my love for this old car.

Category: Archive, Automotive, Diesel, Hobby, Mercedes | No Comments »
Tags: 300d, amateur, diesel, k4rdc, license, mercedes, radio, turbodiesel

Posted By RichC on April 11, 2018

With freedom desired by nearly everyone on earth and history clear as to choice and “the market” lifting our standard of living, why do so many young people embrace socialism and big government?

Category: History, Politics, Video | No Comments »
Tags: capitalism, History, prageru, video, youtube

Posted By RichC on April 10, 2018

While reading a bit this past week about retirement savings and planning, it really hit home when realizing just how lifespans have changed in the past 100+ years.

Did you know:

•In 1900, the average life expectancy was 47 years. Only 100,000 Americans lived to age 85.

•By 2010, the number of people over 85 years old had grown to 5.5 million and was one of the fastest-growing segments of our population.

•By 2030, as the last baby boomers turn 65, older adults are expected to reach 20% of the population, and by 2050, 19 million people will be in the 85+ age group.

Shocking numbers living past 90 years old … considering that FoxBusiness reported that the average person nearing age sixty has only been able to save $100K for their retirement (excluding Social Security and any pension they might have coming). At today’s cost of living and expected longevity, that is not going to last very long … especially if faced with a medical emergency.

An article posted in MarketWatch by Mark Jaeger had an interesting take on dividing life into quarters (nice and simple … until you have to implement! HA!) 

Most traditional financial planning tends to focus on achieving goals throughout life, culminating in something called retirement. But planning for what happens and what you want to do during retirement is often lacking. The word “retire” actually means to withdraw or retreat, which may have been the case after age 65 many decades ago, but that is the opposite of what most people reaching 65 today want to do.

Picture your life in overlapping 25-year time spans: birth to 25; age 10 to 35; 20 to 45; and 30 to 55. Consider how much you grew and changed during each of those periods. Now imagine the life you will live between 65 and 90, assuming that much of that time you will be relatively healthy and productive. This period is increasingly becoming known as the longevity dividend or longevity bonus, an exciting time that past generations have not had. This longevity dynamic changes the way we must view retirement and how we will live.

Now let’s divide your life into 4 “quarters” of about 25 years each.

The first quarter’s milestones tend to be triggered by specific ages: your first birthday, starting school, getting a driver’s license, being allowed to vote, and beginning to figure out who you are as you become established in your 20s.

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Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: finance, investing, money, planning, retirement, savings, wealth

Posted By RichC on April 9, 2018

(click for larger)

I read an interesting article about music in Wired this past weekend and in particular a World Song Map image that instead of a "place name" there is a "song name." It may not be the best song selection for the place, but it did trigger an old song from 1967 by Scott McKenzie, "Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair." Obviously hippie era and a replacement for San Francisco. So today’s Music Monday is an over 52 million viewed YouTube clip.

Category: Human Interest, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: maps, music monday, musicmonday, scott mckenzie, wired, youtube