Monday Morning Musings

 

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

An impromptu road trip. I’ve had enough of this f*cking humidity and heat, so over the weekend I booked an overnight stay in Temecula Valley for tomorrow night. It’ll give me a chance to adapt to traveling again and break in this no frills Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush and an aftermarket travel case. Sadly, there's no wineries or fine dining adventures on my itinerary. I just want to be in air conditioned environments for a twenty-four hour period before I endure the next heat wave.

WHERE I’VE BEEN

The dealership. The car maintenance and repairs are complete, and both Miku and Artoria are ready for travel. 

WHERE I’M GOING

It’s time for my teeth cleaning at the dentist, followed by a stop at the bank for a small stash of $5 bills. I have housekeeping and the older lady who runs the breakfast buffet to take care of.

WHAT I WATCHED

Republican Governor candidate Steve Hilton created some humorous AI generated campaign ads but my favorite is the not so funny one where he sews a torn California flag back together before raising it on a flagpole. 

WHAT I READ

I can’t believe A Couple of Cuckoos has reached volume thirty and yet it’s still entertaining to read. This volume ended with quite the plot twist, and now I have to wait a couple of months to see what happens next.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

I listened to Guns ‘N Roses’s Use Your Illusion II on Artoria’s stereo the other day. It’s been a very long time since I’ve heard “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” or “Estranged”.

WHAT I ATE

I baked a breaded salmon for dinner Sunday night, but sadly it was too hot and humid to pair it with a wine. Maybe I’ll open a bottle upon my return home.

THE ANDY BURNHAM AWARD GOES TO…

Spectrum. They sent me a text informing me my Internet download speed was bumped up to 1 GB and that I wouldn’t need to do anything else. What they didn’t tell me is that my bill would also go up $12 a month. 

I could shake them down for a cheaper rate but the reality is they or any competitor would want me to sign a 12-month contract I may not be able to honor due to a possible future home or condo purchase. I’ll let this one go but they’re still a bunch of wankers for "upselling".

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

Marriott. They’ve kept their hotel rates reasonably priced despite tariffs, inflation, or any other excuse businesses have to charge more for goods and services.

WHAT I’M PLANNING

An extended break after completing a long journey. 11.5 months, 6 rounds of edits and 95,000 words later I have a dark romance novel ready for publication. I’ll wait until mid-August before I work on the  synopsis and the query letter.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

On Thursday I sold my AT&T (T) stock for a 4.5% gain. When you add in the yet to be received quarterly dividend the total gain exceeds 6%. That will pay for all three of my hotel bookings over the next four weeks.