phrase | My Desultory Blog

TechFriday: Blog housekeeping and a WordPress 5.4.2 update

RichC | June 19, 2020

Way too often those who maintain their own web servers and computers grit their teeth and cringe when it is time to update and upgrade. A month or so ago I replaced one of my servers (the one this blog is on) and suffered through the anxiety of getting everything working again. I generally follow […]

Category: Blogs, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apt-get, bionic beaver, blog, idioms, linux, phrase, server, ubuntu, update, upgrade, wordpress

Our countries founders and past presidents, no matter their political party, would be “turning over in their graves”

RichC | July 2, 2019

VP Joe Biden, Sen Bernie Sanders and Sen Kamala Harris – DemDebate2 6/27/2019 After watching the two night Democratic Debate last week, I couldn’t help, but notice that the socialist wing of the party has moved every candidate WAY left. All of the current 20+ candidates running to be the DEM’s nominee have made previous […]

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: campaign, debates, democractic, democrats, election, etymology, idiom, nomination, opinion, party, phrase, president, socialism, united states

A good economy, but we are dealing with other political issues

RichC | May 22, 2019

Yes … the U..S economy is in good shape … but if you are an investor, these last few weeks may not have felt like the stock market is responding as it should in a good economy? Enter trade with China … well primarily China. Yet there is also unrest in the Middle East with […]

Category: Financial, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: barrons, china, economy, financial markets, investing, phrase, Politics, tariffs, trade, trading, trump, united states

Is there a best time to become a first time home buyer?

RichC | May 7, 2019

In a discussion with my son Taylor last week, the subject of homeownership came up. He is single and currently rents, but like many millennials, hasn’t been in a big hurry to "put down roots" as have previous generations. On the other hand, being that his career is in "planning" and "economic development," regularly talks […]

Category: Advice, Blogs, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: case-schiller, chart, homes, house, housing, phrase, real estate, rent

Replaced the rear shocks the Honda Odyssey this past weekend

RichC | April 16, 2019

Besides finishing the painful tax filing this weekend, I replaced the rear shocks in my 2002 Honda Odyssey “work-wagon” and Florida vehicle. It is still the lowest mile vehicle we have, but unfortunately, it is showing its age … especially the rusting undercarriage. Still, it runs well and is reliable … knock on wood. I’ve […]

Category: Automotive, Misc, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: honda, mp4, odyssey, phrase, repair, replace, shocks, superstition, van, video, words

The etymology of “pay through the nose”

RichC | November 1, 2015

I don't recall why I used the phrase “pay through the nose” this past week, but this sounds about right … Instead of fighting the invaders, some English kings preferred to pay the Vikings to leave them in peace. These payments were called 'Danegeld' (meaning 'Dane debt' or Dane payment). The Vikings collected tribute in […]

Category: Misc, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: english, etymology, language, phrase, words

Most Recent Posts

07/30/21: Friday Filler Video: This dad make surfing with kids look easy
Professional surfer Billy Kemper — and his son Lion — surfing together. Surfer Billy Kemper says he glimpsed at death after a wave broke his pelvis in half (CNN) – It was a tiny error in judgement, but within… »
07/29/21: A favorite photo of Drew flying his Quadrotor 5 years ago #TBT
While reviewing and purging a few backups to stay under one of my cloud storage service’s data caps, a favorite photo popped up that was backed up on OneDrive. It was a pre-children time for Drew and Katelyn… »
07/28/21: Books (audio): In “Search of a Kingdom” by Laurance Bergreen
Perhaps it is my aging eyes, just worn out in the evening … or just too many distractions when the TV is on … but my book reading has slowed a bit. Of the several books sitting next to my chair, on my Kindle or… »
07/27/21: The legendary Thomas Sowell and his economics, politics and social theory highlighted by Jason Riley for PragerU
As a longtime subscriber to the Wall Street Journal (and for the last decade or so Barron’s), I’ve learned to appreciate certain journalists, economists and opinion piece writers like Jason Riley at the Manhattan… »
07/26/21: Music Monday: “Then Came You” recorded by Dionne Warwick and The Spinners in 1974
It is difficult not to include R&B music when thinking about music from the 1970s (or 60s for that matter). While listening to JJ Walker on SiriusXM’s 70s on 7 this past week, I found myself tapping my toe while… »
07/25/21: Regularly see bats in the evening, but first time in the pool
So what do you know about bats? Personally, I didn’t know very much at all. I see them regularly in the evening sky darting around and have always repeated the mantra that they are good for the environment because… »
07/24/21: Are we looking at facemasks and shutdowns again? #COVID19
If it were not for the questionable messaging being pushed by every politician, biased partisan media personality (both left and right), so called medical experts and even our own wishy-washy Center for Disease Control… »
07/23/21: Tech Friday: Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know (WIRED)
Occasionally I still get calls from people asking me about shortcut key combinations. Most of the shortcuts are second nature to people who grew up using computers, but then again … what you don’t use, you forget.… »
07/22/21: Interesting to see old Palm Treo phones in articles #TBT
Although the “installing engineered hardwood flooring” comment caught my eye in this @Forbes retweet from @ForbesAdvisor … I couldn’t help but noticed the “likely” canned image with an old Palm Treo hanging… »
07/21/21: The F-16 Agile Falcon variant precursor to the Mitsubishi F-2
My brother Ron spent his career as a civilian with the USAF and much of it was spent year working with F-16 modifications. He was a cog in the bureaucratic gears dealing with the many upgrades and decade long… »
07/20/21: New Shepard Blue Origin launched with Jeff Bezos this morning
Most news outlets are covering the Jeff Bezos and crew launching the few minutes delayed Blue Origin first crewed 11-minute space flight on the anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969. The New Shepard… »
07/20/21: A couple weekend family photos – spiders, movies and art
Figured I would archive a couple leftover photos and an animated gif from a nice weekend working out in the yard. Since the concrete crew has not started the driveway project yet, I am continuing to clear brush and cut… »
07/19/21: Investors are taking it on the chin today as COVID19 Delta variant may impact the US and global recovery
If you are an investor or long term education and retirement saver, you’re feeling the pain today as the coronavirus Delta variant spread could impact the economic recovery. U.S. stocks, oil prices and government bond… »
07/19/21: Music Monday: Neil Diamond and “Crackin’ Rosie” from 1970
It has hard for me to imagine that there is anyone who doesn’t appreciate the music of Neil Diamond? He may not have been at the top of my 1970s music listening list, but when it comes to soft rock, there are few men… »
07/18/21: Lithium Ion battery replaced under Ridgid LSA warranty
Good news and bad news. First, my relatively new (2018) smaller Ridgid tool battery will not hold a charge for very long … which has been my gripe with all previous battery powered “cordless” tools, especially… »
07/17/21: Slow, but not necessarily steady, progress on my home office
Slow progress on my home office as I continue to work in disarray; I am missing my accessory junk … including a small hanging TV. I don’t necessarily “watch” business television, instead listen to the stream via… »
07/16/21: Tech Friday: Replaced the lithium battery in my Kindle Voyage
My Amazon Kindle Voyage is not used much for reading anymore as I have gravitated to using my iPad, but every time I’ve picked it up lately the battery has been dead. So after ordering an inexpensive replacement… »
07/16/21: Grainy summer evening panorama photo (pre-driveway project)
Just a pleasant, but warm evening photo as a Friday filler, after mowing the front lawn on Thursday night … and before the crews come to bust up the driveway and prepare to pour concrete (I hope!)… »
07/15/21: Lots of tools, more tools and an old Boy’s Life booksafe #TBT
After seeing this photo of someone workbench screwdriver holder, I don’t feel quite as bad about my multiple tool boxes and workbench racks. Without a doubt, I do have my share of tools and gadgets, but I’m not sure… »
07/14/21: Book: Operation Pedestal – The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942
Progress has been slow in my latest nightly book reading, in part due to being wiped-out by full days with our granddaughters last week and more recently watching a few episodes each night of an old 1965-1971 sitcom… »
07/13/21: The Wyze cam sound detector picked up a strong thunderstorm
The downside of having self-monitored smarthome security cams, sound sensors, door triggers and motion detection at the Florida condo in Delray Beach is that one never knows what will set it off. Usually it has been a… »
07/12/21: Music Monday: Summer music listening with Yacht Rock Radio
Warm breezy summer weather (ok, HOT at the moment) and SiriusXM’s Yacht Rock Radio go together well. I find myself tuning in channel 70 for those quick jaunts to the store, etc. This past week the Paul Davis song… »
07/11/21: A week of summer with Annalyn and Ellerie at our house
Brenda and I had a great week with Annalyn and Ellerie after Katelyn and Drew headed back home after the Fourth of July family weekend. It was not without challenges as our two little girls do miss their mom and dad …… »
07/10/21: Archive: Leftover personal family 4th of July weekend photos
The Fourth of July 2021 has come and gone, but since we took a week of vacation this week and have our granddaughters, things like “posting to the blog” and resizing photos has taken a second seat to family. For… »
07/09/21: Tech Friday: Switched to "Google Drive for Desktop" on my iMac
For the last few years, I’ve been using Google’s Backup and Sync software on my iMac to back up mostly archival data to my free Google Drive space that was part of my legacy Miami University EDU teaching account. I… »
07/08/21: Still glad we bought a Bosch Dishwasher 11 years ago #TBT
After seeing the latest Wirecutter recommendation the other day, I was glad to know we were ahead of the curve back when we replaced our old dishwasher with a Bosch model in 2010.… »
07/07/21: Books: “Beyond”by Stephen Walker about Yuri Gagarin
One of the segments from the Wall Street Journal that I especially enjoy are the book reviews … or the “bookshelf.” I’m always intrigued by the history selections and the review on Stephen Walker’s book… »
07/06/21: Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest Chess grandmaster in history
It was probably the intimidating photo of 9 year old Abhimanyu Mishra that caught my attention, but as someone who once enjoyed the “recreational game” of Chess as a boy, it is also impressive to see what this young… »
07/05/21: Music Monday: Don McLean performing “Crossroads” live
The lifelong troubadour Don McLean has been mentioned once or twice before, although more for his iconic song American Pie than his music career. Don McLean – “American Pie” But …… »
07/04/21: Independence Day 2021: Stand for the "Red, White and Blue"
Well … no surprise, but divisiveness (or just a “put the spotlight on me”) continues in our free-to-protest country. At one time, standing for our flag, appreciating living free from government oppression in… »
07/03/21: Renewables and EV charging at home vs charging station issue
As we transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles, the discussion I had with a German tourist on our cruise to Alaska continues to replay in my head. I am an advocate of free-market capitalism and smaller, less… »
07/02/21: Tech Friday: Apple to launch an OLED iPad in 2022 (likely ‘Air’)
According to TheElec.net (and previously rumored on 9to5mac.com), Apple will be launching a 10.86-inch OLED iPad … likely to be branded the iPadAir in 2022. The panel will be a Samsung display and likely be followed… »
07/01/21: What are we looking for from retirement investments?
While reading one of my favorite investment strategist, Brett Owens wrote a REIT and CEF-focused Contrarian Outlook newsletter and occasional webinars that I enjoy. He commented tongue-in-cheek … that “we dividend… »
06/30/21: To have both ears working, my balance and to be young again
I enjoy the ocean but haven’t really had my equilibrium and balance back since my 2-year bout with Meniere’s Disease 20 years ago. That’s a bit depressing since I still have the desire to switch out… »
06/29/21: Preparation yardwork for upcoming concrete driveway project
Beautiful Panarama iPhone7 Evening Sky photo – 6/28/2021 In preparation for the driveway demolition crew to arrive (neighborhood driveway work needs to be done before road repaving), I spent the weekend working to… »
06/28/21: Music Monday: Supertramp – Breakfast in America LIVE (1979)
Last week a friend of mine include an album cover photo and said “strike this pose.” I laughed to myself wondering just how many people seeing it would know and remember “Breakfast in America“ and the Engilsh… »
06/27/21: Do you pop the end tabs in before unrolling aluminum foil?
Who doesn’t occasionally need a little advice from the helpful tips, tricks and tidbits floating around the Internet? Here’s one that should be familiar to most of us, but surprisingly catches us off guard once in a… »
06/26/21: Replaced a failed sump pump check valve after heavy rains
Last weekend we had thunderstorms and tornado warning that dumped buckets of rain in our area. Thankfully no damage or serious flooding, but I did check on the sump and backyard pumps … I even added my spare pump to… »
06/25/21: Tech Friday: Driving, tracking, privacy, gasoline/diesel taxes, or a VMT tax to support our roads and bridges infrastructure
Currently, we attempt to pay for infrastructure by taxing drivers at the pump when they fill their cars and trucks with gasoline and diesel fuel … but vehicles are becoming more efficient while the cost of… »
06/24/21: Admiring an artist’s self-portrait and a #TBT EV test drive
Brenda and I have always admired art and after 39 years of marriage have collected quite a bit of it. From antiques, carvings and sculptures to paintings that likely have only meaning to us. When I saw the self-portrait… »
06/23/21: The mixed messages on inflation and what does it mean?
Although I’m likely tainted in having lived through a period where inflation was real and uncontrolled, I do worry that people living today either ignore or downplay the negative impact inflation, stagflation or worse… »
06/22/21: A leftover weekend photo and video turned animated gif
Spent a lot more time this past weekend picking up branches, pumping out the pool and even set up a pump in the backyard to prevent flooding the pool. Thankfully no tornadoes on the ground, but the lightning, wind and… »
06/21/21: Another Music Monday TV theme song from an in-my-opinion effective Applebee’s commercial with “Cheers” intro
Earlier this month for Music Monday, The sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter” theme song was mentioned as an Applee’s Grill and Bar post-pandemic reopening commercial. There was a second commercial, equally effective… »
06/20/21: Birdhouses and raccoons and a great Drew and Katelyn photo
Received nice photo from Katelyn and Drew last week and since I included one of Taylor and Megan last week, this is one that needed to be archived on my blog. Most most personal photos nowadays are of our granddaughters… »
06/19/21: Tool tip: The Alligator Forceps purchase pays off immediately!
Having just posted on the tool tip from Adam Savage yesterday, the Alligator Forceps paid immediate dividends. It was the exact tool I needed to replace the degraded gasoline tubing of my aging TroyBilt 4-cycle string… »
06/18/21: Tech Friday: Security and less than consistent VPN connections
Generally, I don’t use a VPN connection at home, but since I’ve been having slow connections on my laptop and iPad with VPN connections (both TunnelBear and ProtonVPN), thought I was test at home. ProtonVPN has been… »
06/17/21: Small item Alligator Forceps tool tip thanks to Adam Savage
After repairing our iRobot pool sweeper last week and figuring out how to hold a “behind the riveted new screen” tiny nut in place (after I dropped it!) … I happened to see Adam Savage’s model building… »
06/16/21: The odds are at least 50-50 … right? #learning #statistics
So why do I always end up trying to open the wrong end of a trash bag? With human intelligence and adaptive learning being what it is, one would think knowing which end of the trash bag to open when pulling one out of… »
06/15/21: Moving ahead a little bit with the mini split AC installation
This past weekend I moved forward in getting the mini split AC unit installed in my home office. I started the planned chair rail and cork wall (insulation, sound deadening and a place to pin maps, etc). I’m not… »
06/14/21: Music Monday: B.T.O. – Roll On Down The Highway
Once again, Music Monday highlights another 1970s Canadian rock and roll band and a song from the greatest music decade (IMHO). HA! If you’re not turning up the volume or moving in some way when listening to this… »
06/13/21: Books: Brave By Faith by Alistair Begg
The current pile of books to read is too high for my nighttime side table; I think I need to move a few to my office … or better yet, finish reading them! Since Alistair Begg is a favorite teaching pastor of… »
06/12/21: WW2 Aviation History: Why are F4U-1 Corsairs so taped up?
Well talking to Taylor at his birthday dinner, I mentioned someone posted a photo of a WW2 Vought F4U Corsair and asked about the “stripes” … or duct tape … on the cowl in front of the pilot. The answer from a… »
06/11/21: Annalyn’s imagination and critter ‘picture week’ at our house
When Annalyn and Ellerie were visiting in May, she helped me get out my live trap to “relocate” a raccoon or two (or more?) that has been climbing up on our house. Annalyn is so inquisitive and a real thinker when… »
06/10/21: We celebrated Taylor’s 32nd Birthday in Cincinnati for dinner
We had a great time celebrating Taylor’s 32nd birthday last night after work at Pepp and Dolores restaurant in Cincinnati thanks to Megan. Brenda and I enjoyed arriving a little early and sitting at the bar talking… »
06/09/21: Who knows when we are closing in on a stock market top?
When it comes to investing, I’m primarily a “value investor” who relies on fundamentals, but as for “trading,” which I have tinkered with for 30 years now, I’m an advocate self imposed rules and focusing on… »
06/08/21: Weekend chores, a bonfire and iRobot pool cleaner fixes
It was a “work around the yard” weekend for me and besides power washing the patios on Saturday, I cut down honeysuckles in preparation for the new concrete driveway project later this summer (if it is still… »
06/07/21: Music Monday: a commercial for Applebees, John Sebastian, Television themes songs and Welcome Back Kotter (1975-1979)
As the COVID19 pandemic has dissipated in most of the US … I’ve been seeing restaurants running television advertising that coaxes people back to “in-person” dining. An effective one (although haven’t gone… »
06/06/21: Mexican lunches, salsa, discussions, reading and a good friend
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).… »
06/05/21: Celebrating wedding anniversary number 39 without fanfare
Brenda and I are still a year away from a milestone wedding anniversary, but we aren’t taking our 39th for granted – Happy Anniversary Brenda! This past year has been challenging … but an improving year on all… »
06/04/21: Tech Friday: Pondering the new Mac Mini vs iMac setup again
The Joanna Sterns review in the WSJ about the new Apple iMac highlighted a few plus and minus points last month … and started me thinking about a desktop computer replacement. It is difficult to imagine spending $2000… »

July 2021
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

July 2021

Most Recent Posts

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

Search

Year(s) ago on this day

Archives

Categories

Most Used Tags

Contact

Meta