Monday Afternoon Musings

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Greed. I had a major hissy fit over a two day stretch this past week. Keep reading for the deets, but you can probably guess who one of the culprits is from the above image.

WHERE I’VE BEEN

I didn’t go anywhere this week, which is for the best.

WHERE I’M GOING

Bert’s “retirement” is this week and I’m treating him to lunch at the winery. We’ll have a serious talk about what comes next. Financially he’ll be fine, so I’ll help him with the emotional part. 

It’ll be a shock to his system when he wakes up one day and discovers he no longer has his status and a purpose. I’ll sell him on the idea he’s been freed from The Matrix rather than cast aside, and this is an opportunity to reinvent himself — just like I did with writing and investing.

WHAT I WATCHED ON YOUTUBE

Coachella Valley real estate agents. I’m learning and ins and out of its cities and neighborhoods so I can make an educated choice on where I could possibly live part time or full time in the near future.

WHAT I READ

There was no new manga this past week, so I shifted my focus to the J-Novel app. There’s two light novels whose translated portions created a reading backlog. I need to catch up sooner rather than later. Once the physical copies of these volumes go on sale the early access digital versions I read with my sub go behind a paywall.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

To my delight Artoria’s radio picks up SiriusXM’s Road Trip station (Channel 301). It’s an eclectic collection of music genres dating from the 70s to today, and it streams like you’re changing cassettes or CDs during a long road trip except you change them after every song. I love this element of surprise.

WHAT I ATE

Last night I had herb crusted salmon and steamed vegetables with a 2022 Callaway Special Selection Chardonnay. It wasn’t the best pairing but it was still enjoyable. I’ll finish the bottle with yuzu citrus chicken tonight and then a lemon pepper salmon on Tuesday

THE KIER STARMER AWARDS GO TO…

Rockstar Games for giving us two overpriced versions of GTA 6 to preorder on Thursday. You can pay $80 for the base game or $100 for the ultimate edition, which is the base game with all of its Story Mode features unlocked. I canceled GTA+ in response to this shameless pricing tactic.

MLB did me dirty on Friday. Per the Padres online schedule I went to bed Thursday night believing all three Dodgers-Padres games this weekend would be streamed on PadresTV, so imagine my rage when I turned on the MLB app Friday evening to discover the game was moved to Apple TV without warning.

Bunch of wankers...

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

This wasn’t the best of weeks for good things so I don’t have any candidates. Moving on…

WHAT I’M PLANNING

I’m contemplating buying a condo (aka my own Le Crash Pad) in Coachella Valley. This topic deserves its own post(s) so watch this space in the coming days.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

I bought Artoria a new slim key fob cover that matches her Union Jack mirror caps. This was necessary so I don’t grab the wrong keys when I want to run my errands with a specific car. Yeah, that’s happened a couple of times.

I bought the dip on SanDisk (SNDK) stock just before the market closed on Monday after investors panicked over the South Korean chip stock crash. I sold the stock on Wednesday morning for a nearly 14% gain.

Monday Night Musings

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

My own mortality. My friend’s passing, my brother’s health issues and Bert’s sudden “retirement” all reminded me that tomorrow is never guaranteed. I need to enjoy my own retirement as much as possible for as long as I can.

WHERE I’VE BEEN

The dealership. Check out Artoria’s newly installed Union Jack mirror caps above!

WHERE I’M GOING

The comics shop, even though Woke Supergirl puts a damper on things.

WHAT I WATCHED ON YOUTUBE

The Swastika Test. Did you know that when the Porsche logo is spun fast enough it forms a five armed swastika? Or the VW logo forms an octagon within a circle? It's weird stuff, y’all.

WHAT I READ

The penultimate volume of I Have A Crush At Work. The dual protagonists are now married, and the last chapter advanced their story three years into the future. I can only hope the final volume sticks the landing.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Motorhead. It seems fitting to blast British bands in Miku’s stereo system with the top down lately.

WHAT I ATE

Last night I opened a 2023 Callaway Winemaker’s Reserve Calliope Red and paired it with Sprout’s Black Truffle Sirloin with Mushrooms, herb roasted potatoes and garlic roasted green beans. 

Yeah, I’m having this for dinner again tonight.

THE KIER STARMER AWARD GOES TO…

SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. This union of wankers is trying to gain Governor Gavin Newsom’s support for their 2026 Billionaire Tax initiative by lowering the proposed tax rate from 5% to 2%. 

It’s like watching a pair of economic terrorists negotiate with each other, except it’s on a state level and doesn’t involve a “war” for oil 10.5 time zones ahead.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

The MINI dealership. They’ve booked Miku’s next visit in advance to fix her windshield washer system, her rear defroster, and a possible battery replacement.

WHAT I’M PLANNING

In the event Le Crash Pad is sold in the near future I’m researching possible landing spots for home or condo purchases. Some of these places have exorbitant HOA fees but a number of cost of living expenses are included in them. That's how an $800 HOA can sometimes be palatable when you did deeper into what's covered and what isn't.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

World Cup fans from across the globe came to America expecting the worst, and then they discovered their media lied to them. They’re truly enjoying themselves here, and it made me smile when they discovered ranch dressing goes with everything. 

Then there’s the Scots, who drank Boston dry. I don’t think Beantown ever ran out of beer when their major sports teams won a championship so that’s quite the legendary accomplishment.

A Glow Up & Other Stories

 
There's so much I need to get off my chest, but I'm only willing to talk about a few of them. Let's start with the good stuff. 

Miku got her glow up in recent days. She has checkered mirror caps to match her key fob. That plus a new license plate holder on the front bumper have suddenly erased most of her seven years. There might be more changes to come, which I'll elaborate on later in this post.

***

Artoria is also undergoing a similar glow up. I've replaced her rear corner window trim pieces due to deteriorated rubber trim, perhaps the most common complaint about MINIs after BMW started installing their reliable B46/B48 engines under the bonnet. She also has full blown Union Jack valve stem caps on her wheels. 

Her Union Jack mirror caps will arrive early next week, and since she doesn't have a puddle lamp like Miku I can do the replacement myself. Once that's done, I'll share a picture online since the Brits can't fly their own flag without being called a racist.

***

I've parsed through the 2026 Billionaire's Tax Act and now I have a strategy for staying off the radar. I simply must lower my net worth to be kicked out of the Stanley and Danko Secret Society. A market downturn would do the trick, and so would opening my wallet. Apparently vehicles, art work, jewelry and watches are not counted in the proposal's net worth formulation.

I don't want to buy a third vehicle or replace the ones I have, but spending a few thousand dollars on replacing Miku's front headlight assemblies, bonnet stripes and touching up her paint doesn't sound like a waste of money now. She may have a possible issue with her rear window defroster, but I won't know for sure until Winter arrives. I just might drop her off at the dealership later this summer to address these issues all at once.

Artoria needs new tires at the end of summer or the beginning of Fall, depending on how the current set wears during the next few months. That will be about $1,500 once you add in balancing, alignment and sales tax, but that's a necessary expense I can't avoid.

I have no need for art work or jewelry, so luxury watches could become my new hobby. I'm already casually looking at Breitling (for wear) and Rolex (for resale value) offerings as we speak. We'll see what happens when we get closer to November's election. Anything can happen between now and then.

***

There's a few other things on my mind before I enjoy the rest of the weekend:

A mutual friend of Bolt Man's passed away today. Although it's been two decades since I've seen him the news is still hitting me hard. I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out with him when we were much younger and not yet jaded by real life.

I still think Kier Starmer is a wanker. I might (dis)honor him on Monday's post.

Finally, single moms claiming Father's Day as their second parental holiday can piss off. They're already getting child support, alimony and government handouts to maintain the illusion of "strong and independent". Let men have their one day of relevance in a child's life.

Monday Afternoon Musings

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

An uprising. UK residents are fed up with things ranging from two tiered policing, the government controlling social media, preferential treatment of immigrants, and how men have been pushed out of society. 

There’s been daily protests across the UK since Tuesday, and you know the government really fucked up this time when the Catholics and the Protestants have joined forces in the streets. 

WHERE I’VE BEEN

I didn’t go anywhere this week. Anyway...

WHERE I’M GOING

Total Wine. I’d love to acquire a bottle of that Grey Rock Reserve Sauvignon Blanc I had about a year and a half ago. I also have another empty slot in my wine fridge for another white wine.

WHAT I WATCHED

Great Britain News (GBN) is a conservative news outlet, but unlike Fox News they hold both sides equally accountable. I’ll occasionally stream their live broadcast for a few minutes off and on during the day to see what’s going on across the pond.

WHAT I READ (RANT INCLUDED)

The text of the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, and I’ve included that huge red flag called Legislative Authority in the above screenshot. If you don’t know what that word salad means, I’ll put it in plain English. 

Once the billionaires and anyone making seven figures flee the state, all it takes is a two thirds vote in our state legislature to lower the net worth threshold and/or make this a recurring tax on Californians that own homes, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, cryptocurrency or other valuable assets. 

State Democrats have a super majority in Sacramento, and some of them have embraced Communism. Anyone that can rub two brain cells together can figure out how this will end, and it won’t end well.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

Toby Keith, because As Good As I Once Was is the anthem for a lot of middle aged men including myself.

WHAT I ATE

I opened a 2022 Callaway Profonde (Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah) over the weekend and one of my food pairings was a lowly Vons/Albertson’s Signature Select three meat thin crust pizza. I added herbed goat cheese before I tossed it in the oven, and then I sprinkled Parmesan cheese and parsley on it while it rested on a cutting board. 

With a pairing like this, I have no business setting foot in a pizzeria ever again.

WHO DESERVES TO BE SLAPPED

Every news organization that failed my “test” Tuesday night, and that includes Fox News. See below for the deets.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

Sky News Australia, Megan Kelly and GBN. To the best of my knowledge, they were the ONLY news outlets or talk show hosts that correctly described Tuesday’s “Knife Attack” in Belfast. 

For those of you unaware, it was an attempted beheading by a Sudanese immigrant after he gouged out the hearing impaired Irishman’s eyes. That’s an atrocity, not a knife attack. 

This event should make y’all question your news sources, no matter if they lean left or right.

WHAT I’M PLANNING

I have to take my brother to a doctor’s appointment. Otherwise I’m keeping an eye on my stocks to see when I can dump them for a small profit. Speaking of which…

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

I bought SanDisk on a Monday and sold it for a 7% gain the following day. I was not expecting to make money that quickly. 

With the turmoil surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, I’ve bought the dip on Chevron. Even if I don’t sell it for a gain it’s worth holding for its near 4% annual dividend yield.

I found a bottle of 2022 Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon discounted to $49.99 at Vons. It’s a great wine to drink today, but I’m aging this bottle for my 60th birthday year.

Monday Night Musings

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Gas prices. It’s a given they will skyrocket this summer, but I’m not panicking over the possibility of gas rationing in California. The late 70s rationing happened due to price caps, and without them we'll either see people curtail their driving or park their vehicles. 

I’ll just budget accordingly.

WHERE I’VE BEEN

Besides the winery? Nowhere else in particular. 

WHERE I’M GOING

Best Buy. I found a cache of old phones that need to be recycled.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

YouTube videos on Cambodian macaques. They’re fascinating to watch since their troop mirrors human society. When mothers don’t discipline their kids, they remain screeching leeches that think the rules don’t apply to them. They kind of remind me of the worst elements of Generation Z -- their wilding, their street takeovers, and their TikTok slander and hatred of older generations. 

WHAT I’M READING

I started Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” the other night. I assume I’ll need to reread it at least once to absorb everything but I’m enjoying it so far.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO

My MP3 music collection. I enjoy streaming SiriusXM during the weekdays, but this weekend I found it boring with talk show repeats and the same music I heard two hours earlier. I’ve put the music USB stick back in Artoria’s center console just in case that happens again.

WHAT I’M EATING

I opened the Wild Yeast Muscat Canelli last night and it was wonderful with yuzu citrus chicken and garlic and herb seasoned potatoes and veggies. I’ll finish the bottle with a Baja chicken bowl tonight and lemon pepper crusted salmon tomorrow night.

WHO DESERVES TO BE SLAPPED

Car dealerships. I’ve kept an eye on EV prices despite the fact I’ll keep Miku as my “city errand” car. Over the past week used MINI Cooper SE prices in America’s Costliest City have increased $1,000 despite not selling. The local Nissan dealership offers the new and greatly improved Leaf at $2,000 above MSRP. I suspect there’s similar price gouging for other EVs except Tesla. Used Model 3s are as plentiful as herpes at a Houston spring break party.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

I don’t have any candidates this week. Moving on…

WHAT I’M PLANNING

I’m contemplating another winery visit. There’s a handful of new items on the menu I’d love to try, and it’s also been about half a year since I’ve spent a Saturday afternoon hanging out at the members only viewing deck. 

I also might pay Total Wine a visit. I have a short list of white wines I’d love to try again.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

The fact I sold TakeTwo Interactive (TTWO) stock at a 7% loss and still won. The loss will offset capital gains I’ve made from stock sales earlier this year.

I recently purchased Costco (COST) on the dip, and now I’ve done the same with Sandisk (SNDK). I expect to make money on those as longer term holds.

Electile Dysfunction

In all my years of writing and reading blogs, I never could've imagined authoring a post like this one. For all the histrionics people say about Trump doing this or Trump saying that, I'm sitting here on a Saturday night wondering if I've had a front row seat to a rigged primary election.

One thing I've always liked about our past elections was California BallotTrax. This third party company notifies you via email or text any status changes for your ballot. Everything from when it's mailed out to you to when it's counted by the local Registrar of Votes, and every event in between you're notified. It gives everyone confidence our mail in voting system is safe and secure.

This year I smell a rat, and not the kind in Tewksbury. 

I usually mail in my ballot within a week of receiving it, and this time it was delivered to the Registrar of Voters on May 15th. However, I have yet to receive any further updates from BallotTrax. I find this very troubling since 73% of my Congressional district's ballots have already been counted as of this morning. 

I haven't discussed this with my sister, the lone Democrat I'm on speaking terms with on a semi regular basis, but I've spoken to Bert and my Libertarian next door neighbors about this. After doing so, I discovered we have something in common: We all voted early and none of us have received confirmation our ballots were counted.

I look forward to the Department of Justice looking into matters. If we can't guarantee fair elections in California, then there's nothing stopping this from happening in the other forty nine states in November.

Wine Haulin'

 
I visited the winery on Wednesday, and everything is in a renewal phase. The vines are in full bloom, and green grapes are growing from them. Even the land in the background that was torched by arson not long ago is already healing.

Here's a closer look at the Sauvignon grapes. Later in the year these will turn dark like blueberries, but please don't touch them. I hear they're quite bitter.

What wasn't bitter were these chorizo and potato tacos, a new menu item. When paired with a Rose Soleil, they're nothing short of divine. If there weren't other things I want to sample in the coming weeks and months, I'd order these again in a heartbeat.

My wine club pickup was ready, and it included a 2025 Sauvignon Blanc. I tasted a sample at the restaurant, and it's got more apple than the 2024 bottle I opened this week. 

The Wild Yeast Muscat Canelli was hyped before its release, so I picked up an extra bottle. I'll open it as soon as this weekend, and I can picture this dry Muscat being a great match with yuzu citrus chicken and perhaps a lemon pepper salmon.

The last bottle on the right is a $225 Owner's Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon I'll open for Esmae's birthday. I'll likely pair it with entrees featuring boneless ribeye or lamb, and then a small bowl filled with berries, chocolate and truffle gouda.

I shall return to the winery soon. I wouldn't mind having Rose Soleil on hand for homemade Angus beef tacos or Duck Pad See Ew.

Monday Night Musings

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Recovery. Just when I thought I had the upper hand on a lingering head cold or sinus issue it got worse. I’ve literally spent the past few afternoons and evenings lying horizontal to both rest and drain my sinuses. I’m not 100% but I feel a lot better now.

WHERE I’VE BEEN

The comics shop. I was initially thrilled there’s a new Zatanna series to read, but I’m tempering my enthusiasm if there’s…. well, keep reading to see what pissed me off over the weekend.

WHERE I’M GOING

It’s time for my bimonthly wine club pickup. If I’m well enough to sip a glass of wine while noshing on a light lunch, I’d love to take Artoria for a winery day trip midweek.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

Enough YouTube videos on EVs and hybrids to conclude I should stick with Miku. No matter what savings I’ll get from going electric or hybrid, none of those compact cars can replace a cute convertible with a turbocharged BMW soul. I’m willing to settle for 23 mpg on surface streets in exchange for The Ultimate (Topless Compact Car) Driving Experience.

WHAT I’M READING

Various light novels, comics and manga. The most notable is the latest volume of I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level. In turbulent times I need more of these “feel good” reads to soothe my soul.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO… AND YOU SHOULD TOO

I don’t know what side of the bed Andrew Wilcow and Sean Hannity slept on Thursday night, but on Friday morning and afternoon those two were on fire talking about the growing number of men not giving a shit about society. 

It’s been open season on men (aka misandry) for the past decade, so don’t be shocked if MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) is a precursor for something bigger. That's why we should all pay attention, and perhaps treat each other a little better?

WHAT I’M EATING

Due to the cold/sinus issues I didn’t create any paired dishes this week. Moving on…

WHO DESERVES TO BE HIT WITH A TUBE SOCK FILLED WITH KRYPTONITE

DC Comics and Warner Bros. Discovery. 

I never thought I’d see the day when DC Comics would cast a misandrist with the precursory multiple ear piercings and sticker book collection of tattoos all over her skin to play Supergirl. I also never thought I’d see the day when a movie studio would budget $245 million for a superhero movie only to cut corners on a PR handler. One that could’ve told the star of the movie to shut the fuck up instead of alienating half the human species with her fourth wave feminism. 

If there’s misandry in the new Zatanna series, I may very well close my wallet to DC Comics. I’ve had enough of being cast as the villain without actually being a villain.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

Intuit. After being in limbo for longer than I can remember, my case was assigned to a full time tax expert that completed and filed my amended tax returns in less than 24 hours. I’m getting quite a bit of money back, and I can also request this expert to do my taxes next year. They’ve officially earned my business back.

WHAT I’M PLANNING

The winery visit is on, health permitting. I’d also love to dive back into edits. I miss my characters.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

The San Antonio Spurs are in the NBA Finals. I always thought we were spoiled beyond belief during the Gregg Popovich era, and now they’re on the verge of winning another championship with Victor Wembanyama, a superstar that hasn’t hit his prime yet. When you consider the Spurs have a treasure trove of first round picks and pick swaps over the next six years to retool the roster as they go, you get the feeling this could be the beginning of another dynasty.