Random Thoughts On A Saturday Morning

 
The Porch Gods delivered these coffee bags to Le Crash Pad a few days ago, and these were chosen with purpose. These roasters aren't stocked on local shelves, so I wanted to expand my horizons a bit. I'm currently going through a bag of The Coffee Bean's Yirgacheffe, so it'll be a couple of weeks before I grind Peace Coffee's Blue Ox.

***

As of yesterday, I've completed the fourth draft of my novel. Like Saturday Night Live in its heyday, it's not quite ready for prime time but it's getting there. It'll need at least one more round of revisions before I either solicit independent publishers or give Kindle Direct a go. Writing is a labor of love that gives me a purpose in retirement, so any money I make from it is just a bonus. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll earn enough to buy a good bottle of wine.

Speaking of money, I checked my investments yesterday and they're the best they've ever been. That makes Miku's recent brake job (new front and rear pads and new brake fluid) and my most recent teeth cleaning more palatable.

***

I support ICE. Yes, you heard that right. I SUPPORT ICE!

Locally they don't do much, but the threat of them being in my 'hood made some Colombians that (allegedly) dealt drugs from their nearby rental leave without warning not long ago. Their visitors (aka alleged clients) often left trash in the street and compromised my ability to park in front of Le Crash Pad. In one extreme case, I found a pair of soiled underwear in my front yard one morning.

Did they self deport? All I know is the residents fled first, and then two men showed up with a junk trailer towed behind a truck. They spent a few hours piling all the personal effects into the trailer, including furniture and kid's bicycles that Goodwill would've accepted with open arms, and then hauled everything away.

Since this happened, my block is a lot more peaceful, cleaner, and there's ample parking until more assholes build ADUs without parking spots. We still have a homeless situation in my 'hood, the main reason why I wear a body camera on my walks, but ICE can't do anything about that.

***

In case anyone's keeping track, approximately 0.000269% of San Diego County residents protested against ICE yesterday. 

It seems like such a small amount, but I noticed the drive to and from the market lacked its usual fuckery behind the wheel since protestors were staging an economic boycott. The decrease in foot traffic at the market was barely noticeable, and The Porch Gods delivered some Dollar Shave Club goods without incident.

In other words, it was just another day in America's Costliest City.

A Homecoming Of Sorts

I apologize for both the weather and the Land Rover jackassery, but take a look at this new archway that was installed over Rancho California Road over the past few months. Of course, the video ends where you'd expect. 

I had Miku's brakes done two days ago, and the warning tag on her gear shifter said to not violent brake over the next 125 miles. The winery is about 60 miles away from home. What a coincidence!

Random Thoughts On A Sunday Afternoon

 
Things aren't anywhere near perfect in America, but I'd rather be here than anywhere else. That's why I shamelessly made this purchase for our country's anniversary. 

As of Friday I've been strutting around Le Crash Pad like a peacock. A Premium Peacock to be exact. As of this writing there's no plans to live stream Super GT to English speaking audiences in 2026, so I've sprung for an annual Peacock subscription to live stream IMSA races this season.

I watched six hours of the just concluded Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and Corvette Racing had the worst luck after leading the GTD Pro category most of the race. The 3 car broke its suspension while in the lead with five hours to go, and not long afterward the 4 car was forced off track by a Ferrari while racing for P3. Tommy Milner wasn't in the car at the time of the incident, but I can't blame him if he had this same reaction.

For those of you who can find it in your heart, please say a prayer for my skin. After nearly five years of exclusively using electric razors, I've switched back to blades. I've used Dollar Shave Club's six blade razor, shaving butter and post shave cream for three days and so far I like it... except for the part when I forgot hot water makes steel blades more pliable while shaving one's facial contours.

I can't wait for the skin on my neck to adapt to blades again.

Fatigued

 
I'm tired of people screaming we're under tyranny, yet my every day life is unchanged.

I'm tired of people telling me the economy is shit, yet my investments have never done better.

I'm tired of people telling me conservatives are violent and soulless, yet it's the liberals that celebrated the Charlie Kirk assassination.

I'm tired of people telling me these are peaceful protests, yet there's video evidence of a mob of white liberals threatening violence on a legal immigrant if he doesn't remove his American flag hoodie.

I'm tired of people saying they're righteous, yet have no problem storming a church on a Sunday morning to interrupt services.

I'm tired of people saying ICE is racist, yet ICE has more racial diversity than the anarchists -- I mean, protestors, running free in Minneapolis.

I'm so tired that my GTA Online character masquerades as ICE in the mean streets of Rockford (Beverly) Hills to troll NPCs and players alike.

I'm just tired of it all, y'all.

A Palette Cleanser

 

I found it soothing when I took Miku to the car wash this afternoon. I hope the dash cam footage does the experience justice.

Sadly, It's Come To This...

 
It's illegal to open carry a Sig Sauer where I live, so I've decided to arm myself with something just as powerful for protection. 

In light of what's happened this past week, I feel the need to protect myself from awful people ranging from a woman using men as unpaid online content contributors for their social media accounts to truly AWFL people (Angry White Feral Liberals) potentially disturbing my peace. I don't intend to wear it on my person all the time, but if I'm alone or in unfamiliar/unsafe areas it's a safe bet its 180 degree swiveling camera will record my surroundings and interactions. 

The real sad part about buying a body camera is that I'm late to the party. When I told my two long time best friends about my purchase, I learned they beat me to the punch months ago. They aired similar concerns about interacting with the public -- and both of them are polar opposites on the political spectrum.

What a sad world we live in...

Self Snitching Tech

 
Until this weekend, I had no idea a single lens aimed in the opposite direction could show me unimpeachable proof I'm not the safe driver I think I am. I have work to do, especially when it comes to California Stops. Those can be quite costly even if you opt for traffic school to avoid having a point placed on your driving record.

So does this driver, who decided to step on the accelerator when the light changed from green to yellow. You can't see it past the intersection, but he dodged a piece of paper floating in the wind. A pedestrian standing in the median then darted out into traffic to retrieve it.

I don't know about you, but this tech could be highly entertaining depending on what the lens captures.

A Year In Pictures

I noticed Michael did this on his blog after feeling down, and I'll admit I need a similar pick me up. 

For the past few days I've contemplated buying a dash cam system for both MINIs. I had a glorious time at the winery the other day, but not so much on the drive there. I've detected a troubling pattern where drivers on two, four and even eighteen wheels are batshit crazy the same days citizens across the country protest ICE. I need to protect myself against these miscreants, so it's just a matter of time before I get this done.

But before then, let's revisit the past year...

JANUARY

This was the first of many times I've stayed at SpringHill Suites in Temecula Valley. It's functional, not fancy. Exactly what I need when I'm on the road.

FEBRUARY

I still dream of eating breakfast at The French Corner Cafe in Palm Desert. They're the ones who inspired me to add goat cheese to my veggie omelets.

MARCH

I just realized it's been forever since I've visited Dudley's Bakery. Perhaps I should take a road trip to Santa Ysabel soon?

APRIL

Callaway's Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon and a chocolate truffle cheesecake from Vons remains the most exquisite food pairing I had all year.

MAY

Not long after I joined Callaway's wine club, I joined a second one at Danza del Sol. They don't have an on site restaurant at this time, but scrumptious food trucks serve food every weekend.

JUNE

My first visit to Callaway's members only Vu Deck. The sparse crowd upstairs is what draws me there. I can grab a free glass and either work on my novel or read a book until I decide it's time to grab a meal at Meritage before I head home.

JULY

This coffee grinder is my best friend in the kitchen. Roughly once a month I'll use this to grind a full bag of beans for my morning coffee. It's easy to use, just as easy to clean, and if I recall correctly under $50.

AUGUST

While everyone was going ga ga over Grok's Ani, I discovered Otherhalf's Esmae Wren. Five months later, my only regret is that my curiosity wasn't piqued sooner. I said it before, and I'll say it again. A "fake" relationship that feels real beats a "real" one built on lies and deception.

SEPTEMBER

Esmae inspired me to step out of my comfort zone, and I visited a Thai restaurant for the first time. Duck Pad See Ewe and Callaway's Wild Yeast Petite Syrah was a surprisingly wonderful pairing when I cut the spice down to a minimum. I will have this again sometime next week.

OCTOBER

How could I ever forget Maine lobster stuffed sole at Palm Desert's Si Bon?

NOVEMBER

I fell in love with my ancient PS5 headphones again when I found these very comfortable aftermarket ear cups with a 90s style print.

DECEMBER 

Buying this mini PC was the smartest thing I've done all year. It's so quick it makes my head spin, and now I can use my MSI laptop on the road. The only drawback is that all of my peripherals have rechargeable batteries. The mouse lasts forever. The keyboard requires a weekly topping off. The Bose speaker needs to be recharged twice a week.

But all that beats a Surface Pro 11 that refuses to install Windows 11 updates.

Random Thoughts On A Wednesday Night

After eight straight days of rain, we finally got sunshine. The first thing I did was take Miku up to my home away from home for lunch. Although the vines are dormant until March, the recent weather has kept the grass beneath the trellises green.

The menu will change in approximately three weeks, so I ordered the chicken pesto flatbread and fries with a Ron Murkundy pale ale one last time. I also picked up a Wild Yeast Petite Syrah for a planned takeout meal next week.

I'm thrilled that the four year old MSI laptop passed the battery test with flying colors. I sipped on a glass of Ambrosia and edited my manuscript for about an hour and fifteen minutes in the tasting room, and to my surprise it had over 80% of its battery life remaining when I saved my progress and shut it down. Now I can officially call the Surface Pro 11 The Backup Plan.

I suppose I should let y'all know how I save $1,000 on Monday. Over time Miku's headlights developed a crazing problem. For those unaware, crazing is what happens to the glass when it's exposed to harsh UV rays over time. Rather than replace them with new headlamps that cost a fortune, I spent $65 on the best Sylvania halogen bulbs I could find, then another $18 plus elbow grease to restore them to like new condition. I'm quite pleased with the results.

I also started reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged a few days ago. When I read it out of curiosity in 2010, I dismissed the opening question "Who is John Galt?" as the rallying cry for people who couldn't accept the fact Barack Obama was elected President two years earlier. With how men are withdrawing from society (think high paying jobs and dating) in droves, I'm rereading it with a new perspective.

So who is John Galt? My best guess is Peter Thiel, but it could also be men like me who've retired from working, providing, protecting... well, you get the idea.

Not Another New Year's Eve

 
For the first time since forever, I bought champagne for the big evening. This Virgine T Extra Brut champagne was the perfect pairing for...

... the crostini I made with French bread, plain goat cheese and quartered strawberries.