Reading (listening to) the Bible in one year – the Dwell app

| December 14, 2025

Have you ever tried to read (or listen to) the Bible in one year?  Last year, Brenda and I started the process of “listening to” the Bible being spoken to us every night. We have been surprisingly consistent and good about it and are nearly finished … although I haven’t counted down the days yet […]

Tidbits: The pocket watch pocket on jeans and the “Locker Loop”

| December 11, 2025

Have you ever wondered about those oddities on clothes and why they continue to be added even though “most” people don’t use them? I suspect most people have heard that the little pocket on jeans was put their by Levi Strauss for the pocket watch, but it is still interesting. Coins? Matches? Lipstick? Flash drives? […]

Music Monday: Jimmy Buffett and “Saxophones”

| November 24, 2025

It is odd just how the human mind works when connecting a couple of entirely different names? Last week, in a discussion on X.com, an automotive journalist, CarGuyTom, toss out the celebrity name, Ema Thompson, after a poll he was running. Knowing Tom was a fan of jazz music, the name for some strange reason […]

Music Monday: “Take Me Home,” a feel good song by Phil Colins

| November 17, 2025

Last week a song segment from “Take Me Home” came on the TV between one of the NFL games and it triggered “good emotions.” Likely that was because 1985-86 were great years for both Brenda and me; we were enjoying sailing on Brenich, fixing up our first house and getting it ready to sell and […]

Honoring Veterans Day: A Moment of Reflection and Gratitude

| November 11, 2025

Each year on November 11th, our nation pauses to honor the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day traces its roots back to Armistice Day, first observed in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I — the “war to end all wars.” The armistice between the […]

The Shutdown Charade: Broken Promises Demand a New Path

| November 9, 2025

Why do public schools, a college education, the social safety net and health care continue to need more money? Because government is inefficient and too heavily involved … especially at the Federal level.  Late last week I sent my right-leaning column commentary to TheHusting.news — we’ll see how it is received. No doubt those on […]

Music Monday: The Bellamy Brothers – “Let Your Love Flow”

| November 3, 2025

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Democrats’ Cruel Calculus: “the few leverage times we have”

| October 26, 2025

Last week I passed on the request to comment on the “No Kings” protest, as requested by TheHustings editor since we were busy. This week I’m taking the initiative in sending commentary on the ridiculous Federal government shutdown (quote below) after the “leverage” comments from Democratic House Minority Whip Katherine Clark. It does seem insane […]

The 2025 MLB World Series begins: Dodgers vs Blue Jays

| October 25, 2025

The 2025 World Series is finally underway. Brenda and I have been watching the playoffs all autumn long, but unfortunately have watched each of our early picks (they were hopes really) drop like flies. The Reds, Guardians and Tigers all fell early in the playoffs, but we have settled on rooting for the Toronto Blue […]

The US Stock Market is priced for perfection, so it doesn’t take much to trigger selling: Trump’s NEW China tariff threat

| October 10, 2025

As the long Columbus Day weekend approached, a little tariff news from President Trump was enough to trigger a day of selling on Wall Street. If I were a bit more willing to take a risks … and if it were not October after a strong stock market uptrend this summer … it might be […]

Music Monday: Linda Ronstadt and “It’s So Easy” – live recording

| October 6, 2025

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Book: 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin is on my library hold even before being released

| October 2, 2025

Likely, Andrew Ross Sorkin’s new book, “1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How it Shattered a Nation,” is not on my “must buy list,” but the Bloomberg pre-release review below (see archive.ph) has it sounding relevant and interesting. So like my buddy Jeff, I’ve put it on my library hold list […]

Music Monday: 1978, Dire Straits and “Sultans Of Swing”

| September 15, 2025

Dire Straits was a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler, his brother David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers, known for their unique blend of rock, folk, and blues driven by Mark Knopfler’s signature guitar style. Their breakthrough hit, “Sultans of Swing,” was released in 1978 and remains their one […]

Music Monday: Jackson Browne performing “Boulevard”

| 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 […]

Long read, but a little foot injury and medical billing follow-up

| 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 […]

Tech Friday: Still combatting the Bots and Log Bloat on Server

| 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 […]

Archive: Labor Day photos with Megan, Taylor and Gigi

| 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 […]

Music Monday: Kansas and “Dust In The Wind” (1977)

| 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 […]

The best U.S. president in the last 50 years? A Nobel Peace prize?

| August 26, 2025

As a TheHustings regular contributor, I sometimes find myself being a little more provocative that I really am — likely because there is a lack of pro-MAGA content in the right-hand column. Part of this particular submission (posted below) is for the “shock value” … but Jerry Lanson’s left-hand column, Keep Your Eye On What […]

A problem when using AI for research – 404 links

| August 21, 2025

Flaw in AI assisted research (404 links). Artificial Intelligence generated segment below for a recent blog post — and all are broken/non-existent links: Record-low unemployment rates for most demographics, including native-born workers Historic median household income growth, reaching an all-time high of $68,703 in 2019 4.9 million Americans lifted out of poverty in a single year […]

The CPI and Trump/Putin news saw Financial Markets Rally

| August 12, 2025

If you are an investor or just someone wanted some good news as inflation held steady, the  market gained and had added hope noting the upcoming peace talks between President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. You might even say, “America’s Future is Bright” … a reference to my TheHustings commentary today after my previous polite […]

Music Monday: Ringo Starr – “It Don’t Come Easy” (1971)

| August 11, 2025

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The family is vacationing, I’m reading and saving a project idea

| August 10, 2025

Today’s post is part photo archive, a project idea and a little on “what I’m reading this summer” — but I do miss the World War II history books of previous years. KDAE were off to Colorado on a family vacation this past week and were enjoying there time hiking and outdoors. They were with […]

The Great Cordoba Keychain Conspiracy, a ChatGPT story

| July 28, 2025

Some collectors go for muscle cars. Others chase rare diecasts or obscure dealership brochures. But @Car_Guy_Tom? He had a more refined ambition: cornering the global market on Cordoba keychains. It all began on a lazy Sunday morning at a suburban Chicago area garage sale. Nestled between a box of spark plugs and a velvet Elvis […]

Is this photograph real or was it created by artificial intelligence?

| July 17, 2025

I couldn’t help but remember a Memorex tape advertisement that ran in the 1970s for cassette tapes (above) … then in the 1980s for VHS tapes … when seeing the photo below: “Is it live … or is it Memorex?“ What do you think of when you see the shape of this island off the coast […]

Interesting Tech Friday tidbit: What is a Bombardier beetle?

| July 11, 2025

The Bombardier beetle is a remarkable insect known for its unique and powerful chemical defense system. Belonging to the family Carabidae, these beetles are found on nearly every continent and are especially famous among entomologists and naturalists for the way they defend themselves from predators. Key Characteristics: Chemical Defense:The Bombardier beetle can eject a hot, […]

Music Monday: The Beach Boys, Shutdown Vol 2 and Shaggy too

| July 7, 2025

Nothing like summertime to bring out The Beach Boys music … even though much of their music was released before my time. This week is likely a repeat of years gone by just as was last week’s end of June 2025 post, but it still fitting with last month’s passing of the legendary Brian Wilson. […]

The digital trail I’ve been leaving on MyDesultoryBlog.com #TBT

| July 3, 2025

As we head into another Independence Day tomorrow, I find myself pausing on this Throwback Thursday #TBT to reflect not just on America’s history, but also on the digital trail now spanning 20 years that I’ve been leaving here at MyDesultoryBlog. The Fourth of July has always been more than fireworks and barbecues for our […]

Book: “Kent State: An American Tragedy” by Brian VanDeMark

| July 2, 2025

A Kindle book on hold at the library arrived just as I finished the last book (checked out twice), so the timing for a summer read was perfect. Likely I’ll be slow in reading “Kent State: An American Tragedy” published in 2024 and written by Brian VanDeMark, but I will do my best. First off […]

Peace Through Strength — Strength, Deterrence and Iran

| June 24, 2025

It looks as if my commentary is becoming a regular righthand column thing over at TheHustings.news (based on the current news story).   Peace Through Strength — Strength, Deterrence and Iran The debate over whether to strike Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites is now behind us, as Tehran has suffered a significant setback in its pursuit […]

Maps are an interesting way to look at countries and the world

| June 4, 2025

As mentioned a few times before, I enjoy the visuals of maps, charts and the globe. One of the social media accounts that I follow on X.com is Brilliantmaps.com. A couple years ago they posted a visual of the country Chile compared to the U.S. and to Europe. Chile is a long, LONG, country. 😊 

Widow’s Peak – The desultory rabbit holes a blogger goes down

| June 1, 2025

While Katelyn was home with her family over the Memorial Day weekend, she made a comment about Drew’s hairline while he was swimming in the pool; she used the term “Widow’s Peak“ and it stuck with me as something “desultory” enough for MDB. According to GrokAI (sketched an illustration too): A widow’s peak is a […]

Music Monday: “18 Summers” – Matthew West on Memorial Day

| May 26, 2025

Although Memorial Day posts have generally been focused on honoring and remembering on MDB, I’m breaking the tradition and will include a Music Monday song titled “18 Summers” from the Christian artist Matthew West. It so happened that my daughter sent his YouTube video and a comment regarding college and her girls (still a decade […]

Hm, 2011 both does and doesn’t seem all that long ago? #TBT

| May 22, 2025

A “Year(s) Ago On This Day” highlight (column right) had me looking at a May 2011 photo of our family. Katelyn’s NEOUCOM medical school graduation in 2011 made for a great memory for sure … but leaves me a little bit sad. Still, I’m so thankful all four parents were able to attend her graduation, […]

Catholics have a new pope … and Pope Leo XIV is an American

| May 9, 2025

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, was elected as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. His election marks a historic milestone as he becomes the first American to ascend to the papacy. He succeeds Pope Francis, who passed away on April […]

What do you know about Rogue Planets in our Milky Way?

| May 4, 2025

Rogue planets, also known as free-floating planets, are planetary bodies that drift through the Milky Way without orbiting a star. Unlike typical planets bound to a stellar system, these objects roam interstellar space, untethered by a parent star’s gravity. They’re intriguing because they challenge our understanding of planetary formation and survival in the harsh environment […]

Music Monday: “If Not For You” and the Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Olivia Newton John connection

| April 28, 2025

“If Not for You” is a song by Olivia Newton-John that was released as a single in March 1971 and became her first hit single, peaking at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US … and is today’s Music Monday song. The song was […]

“OK, Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” Jack Swigert, Apollo 13

| April 12, 2025

Hm … I never realized the original quote was “had” vs the often quoted “have” from Apollo 13 and astronaut Jack Swigert 55 years ago – April 11-17, 1970.  “Houston, we have a problem” is a popular phrase that originated during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. The actual quote was “Okay, Houston, we’ve had […]

Music Monday: The Young Rascals and the 1967 song Groovin’

| March 31, 2025

Occasionally Music Monday shifts back a decade to the 1960s. This week it is to the song “Groovin’,” released in April 1967 by The Young Rascals. It also became a defining anthem for the Summer of Love. The song was written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and has  smooth harmonies, a gentle rhythm and […]

Music Monday: “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band

| March 24, 2025

Last week a post on X.com regarding “best jam song for a long drive” triggered other longer driving songs in my mind. I chimed in on the “car guy” thread and picked one out of the list of 4 songs … my vote was “Band on the Run” from the list, but it could have […]

Music Monday: Naked Eyes – “Always Something There To Remind Me”

| March 17, 2025

While listening to Pandora’s version of 1970’s music last week, I picked up a song that “reminded” me of 1982, the year Brenda and I were married. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s and originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963; it was “Always Something There To Remind Me.” […]

Music Monday: Fleetwood Mac – “Over My Head” 2017 remastered

| March 10, 2025

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Is it too soon to talk about Graphite Aluminum-Ion batteries?

| March 8, 2025

This is strictly a future hopeful and something I’ve read Tesla engineers are working on (Graphite Aluminum-Ion Batteries), but I can’t help but get excited about another new battery technology … yes again (see my 2005 post and unfortunately fallout and A123 bankruptcy in 2012). If it is truly going to be in the next […]

Commentary: The President’s Joint Session of Congress Speech

| March 6, 2025

President Donald J. Trump gave a 90 minute Joint Session of Congress speech on Tuesday night and since it went a bit late, I was unable to finish my commentary for TheHustings.News “right-hand” column (a request). Being a bit late, I’m unsure the editor will now find it timely enough to include, but am adding […]

Music Monday: John Mellencamp and “Cherry Bomb” (1987)

| March 3, 2025

For the fun of it, I veered from using SiriusXM and went with an old favorite streaming service, Pandora, for a couple days … because it streams on my Apple Watch to my AfterShokz headset. One of the songs being streamed was the 1987 hit by John Cougar Mellencamp (mentioned before) called “Cherry Bomb.”  Likely […]

Watched the SS United States being towed to the Gulf of America

| March 2, 2025

The nearly 75 year old ocean liner, the SS United States, was towed southbound in the Atlantic Ocean on February 26, 2025 and headed towards its finally resting place in the Gulf of America (previously Gulf of Mexico) somewhere off the coast near Destin, Florida to become an artificial reef. The 1951 (christened), 990 ft, […]

Replaced a Craftsman Drill battery with 6Ah lithium-ion battery

| February 25, 2025

Back to a favorite topic of mine: Tools. Unfortunately the replacing of cordless tool batteries is not … I repeat … NOT a favorite topic. I’m not sure how many years that I’ve been complaining about the relatively short life of pre-Lithium batteries for cordless tools but now it is about the “still short life” of […]

Music Monday: Stevie Wonder and “Superstition” from 1972

| February 24, 2025

“Superstition” is probably one of Stevie Wonder’s most famous songs and was a standout hit in 1972 from his album Talking Book. While listening to 70’s music earlier in the month, I grabbed a SiriusXM screenshot and thought it would be a great addition to Music Monday. The song was the first single from the […]

The 2025 Daytona 500 and America is REALLY Back!

| February 18, 2025

NASCAR has always been something that I’ve taken an interest in watching. When I was a boy, I’d watch it with my brother and dad. When I was a dad, I’d watch it with my son Taylor and we collected cars and trading cars — he was a Jeff Gordon fan. These days I still […]

Music Monday: Barry Manilow and his 1974 hit “Mandy”

| February 17, 2025

Although this season’s blowout of a Super Bowl has been almost forgotten by all but Philadelphia Eagles fans (and definitely forgotten by Kansas City Chiefs fans), the halftime show stands out as one I could have easily pass on. To each their own I suppose?  Anyway, some of the chatter on social media was “why […]

Excellent speech by VP JD Vance on Artificial Intelligence, etc.

| February 12, 2025

Excellent speech by US Vice President JD Vance on artificial intelligence in a summit in Paris, France. He told European and Asian leaders that the United States will dominate AI. Worth watching. NEW: JD Vance speaks at an artificial intelligence summit in Paris, France, tells European and Asian leaders that the United States will dominate […]

Downsizing Government Bloat commentary – TheHustings.news

| February 6, 2025

TheHustings.News – Commentary by Rich Corbett In a time when government spending often raises concerns about waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency, Elon Musk and the DOGE team’s use of “read-only” access to Treasury data can be viewed as a proactive step toward enhancing accountability. The fundamental argument rests on the premise that taxpayers deserve transparency […]

Review: Post-Liberalism, America and the Church, a discussion

| February 4, 2025

Although I’m not recommending a discussion between Michael Horton, James Wood and David VanDrunen to all Christians, the YouTube conversation between theologians is still interesting for those who are politically active in society and the church. The panelists explored the significance of post-liberalism and how it contrasts with classical liberalism, particularly in relation to Christian theology […]

Collision between AA commuter jet and Black Hawk Helicopter

| January 31, 2025

Each time I hear about an aviation accident I think back to the years I was flying small planes. The conversations by news people regarding the state of safe aviation in the United States … be it DEI hires, technology or congested air traffic control space … has me struggling to know what level of […]

It is cold nearly everywhere and even snowing in Florida

| January 23, 2025

Spotted in the Florida Panhandle above and airboat video in Louisiana below 😊 Saw the photo below on social media as a Polar Vortex powered Arctic Blast pushes across the country … and I thought, “climate change” (so long as it is warmer weather) … isn’t coming fast enough!  

Is the US, and the world, ready for President Trump, again?

| January 20, 2025

On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, marking his second, non-consecutive term in office. Due to anticipated freezing temperatures and high winds, the inauguration ceremony has been relocated indoors to the United States Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.  This adjustment ensures the safety and […]

Websites and social media feeds highlighting maps intrigue me

| January 9, 2025

A map by region illustrating the larger variations of temperatures than below Since I love looking at maps of all kinds, I’m always attracted to the ones that trigger intrigue me and helps me learn a little more about our world. I especially enjoy weather related maps (perhaps they often relate to aviation and sailing), […]

Music Monday: Emerson, Lake & Palmer: “From The Beginning”

| December 30, 2024

Today’s Music Monday song is from 1972, a few years before my music listening days, but the supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer was definitely played on stereos during my college dorm listening years. The album Trilogy featured Greg Lake’s song “From The Beginning” which became the progressive rock band’s highest ranking U.S. single at #39 […]

Should this be a Tech Friday or ThrowBack Thursday #TBT post?

| December 19, 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is infiltrating almost everything we do on a smartphone, tablet or computer these days. Last week, my X.com feed sent a message that “you should try generating an image of yourself” based on whatever data it collects. I suspect it relies on my profile information, but am not sure what else it […]

Archiving Chrstmas photos: Gigi, Santa, the Oostra family and Mickey Mouse from Disney on Ice in Toledo, Ohio

| December 17, 2024

It is that time of year … time for Christmas photos … with children and pets? Well a “dog” in the case of Megan and Taylor, but our granddaughters in the case of Katelyn and Drew. In both cases these 2024 photos belong on in the My Desultory Blog archive. Here’s one of Gigi with […]

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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