Category Archives: Paul

January 30, 2026 · 22:17

Random Old Photos – January 30th

Twenty years ago. I was getting my MBA from Pepperdine University. And I think that I’m busy and stressed NOW…

Then again, I was twenty years younger. It balances out. Or as a friend was fond of saying, “Everyone’s Hell is 100%.”

I was in the Executive MBA program, so we had a full three-day weekend of classes about every three weeks, rotating between the Irvine campus, the West LA campus, and the main Malibu campus. This was a rainy weekend at the Malibu campus, with the Rancho Palos Verdes peninsula across Santa Monica Bay to the south.

It was a great program, I learned a ton, I got do do some neat international traveling, I had some fantastic classmates, I’m really glad that I did it, and I’m sooooooo happy that I never have to do it again. Onward to new and exciting “challenges.”

 

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January 29, 2026 · 23:21

…We’d All Swim In Riches

So what if the standard fantasy came true for you and YOU “won the lottery”? What if suddenly you had more money than you could possibly spend in a lifetime?

I know there’s a trope about calling in “sick FOREVER” to work on Monday, calling from a private jet over the Atlantic on your way to the French Riviera. Nice, but probably not my style. The end result of that whole stinking Catholic upbinging and years of Catholic school nuns living in my head. I would want it to be orderly, measured, controlled, calm.

No, the first rule for me would be that NOBODY would know except for my accounting and legal team and immediate family. I do not want a target painted on my back for the nefarious amongst us, or for every political fund raiser or charity hand out. Not that I wouldn’t be generous in my support of causes that I am fond uf, but it would be at my initiative and my choice.

So a bit of time to get some financial and legal structures in place, take care of family, make some modest improvements to our lifestyles, and then…

…sleep. LOTS of sleep. I want to cast off the chains of that whole stinkin’ Protestant Work Ethic and embrace being lazy and slovenly.

There will be international trips and cruises and adventures and shennanigans galore when I’m ready, but first, I want to reset. I want to sleep in every day, take long naps, and collapse into a warm bed early every night.

Once I’m “tan, rested, and ready,” then we’ll start to travel and knocking things off of that imfamous “life list.” (I hate the term “bucket list.”) Trips to every continent. Chasing solar eclipses no matter where they occur. Safaris. Never missing a Chiefs game again, home or on the road. Following the Angels around the MLB circuit for a year, then the same for the Kings through the NHL the next year. Of course, getting current in the left seat again and getting my own plane. Not a business jet or a P-51 or anything extravagent, I’ll never have the time to get that sort of rating, but at least a nice six or eight passenger private plane like a Caravan or a Cirrus. An RV trip around the country to every National Park.

It’s a great fantasy. But I don’t need to daydream fondly of private LearJets. A nap in a warm, soft place will do just fine. I’ve busted my ass and pushed and pushed and pushed for 50+ years.

Enough!

 

 

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Filed under Health, Paul

January 28, 2026 · 22:58

If Wishes Were Fishes

It’s probably a good thing that genie’s don’t come out of bottles and grant the traditional three wishes. I’m not an idiot, I realize that the main point of most of those stories (looking at you, “Monkey Paw”) are that bad things happen.

Still…

The reason we fantasize about getting those wishes is because we’re all feeling so frustrated and powerless on a daily basis, trying our best, working our asses off, and it’s all the Red Queen’s Race, getting nowhere fast but making good time.

Running marathons a few years ago taught me that we can all do so much more than we give ourselves credit for if we just keep putting one foot in front of the other and simply refuse to stop until we get to the finish line.

2025 and 2026 (so far) have me questioning the existence of a finish line, other than the one that pops up (SURPRISE!) when we simply keel over at our desks and start approaching room temperature.

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January 27, 2026 · 23:58

Proof Of Life – January 27th

There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

One project after another at work, I don’t think I’ve had more than a half dozen days off since Halloween, and three of those were Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. I squeezed in a couple of those days for putting up Christmas lights, but it’s been a marathon. Or more aptly, a triathalon. The audit, the tax returns, the budget, covering for a shorthanded situation on my staff, monthly closings, preparing for the annual Board Meeting…

After being up past 1:00 last night and then up again before 6:00 this morning to tie up loose ends and trying to look semi-human for a 10:00 meeting to go over the latest batch… All of a sudden there wasn’t anything super duper “Oh God we’re all gonna die!” time critical  to do.

So it was time to re-fill the bird seed feeders, that have been empty for the last three weeks.

Sorry, birds.

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Filed under ALS Network, Birds, Paul, Photography

January 26, 2026 · 23:51

Proof Of Life – January 26th

FML.

Proof that Hissy has a really nice sound system when you turn her loose.

I was driving down to Pasadena for the work event on Saturday. The song was A-Ha’s “Take On Me.” Yes. It was a loud environment.

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January 23, 2026 · 23:28

Proof Of Life – January 23rd

IYKYK. “Set SCE to AUX.”

It’s been quite the little high pressure shit show here for a while. “The only way out is through…” and all of that.

Meetings and deadlines next week, one way or the other.

February will be better. Please, dear Flying Spaghetti Monster, in the Name of your Most Holy Noodleness, let February be better!

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January 12, 2026 · 23:55

A New Apple Variety

Well, new for me, at least.

I like apples. I like variety. I like having a variety of apples!

I’m no Chuck Wendig – his social media and his website have had hundreds of posts about heirloom apples and apple snacks and everything related to apples for years and years. (He also writes some pretty awesome books! And was the guy behind all of the “Flash Fiction” prompts and posts about ten years ago.) But he has an advantage, living out in the Pennsultucky region where there are hundreds of family orchards growing heirloom apple varieties.

Here in California they’re 100% paranoid about importing fruit flies and other pests, so none of those fruits are allowed. You can’t go get them and bring them in, you can’t get them by mail order, you can’t have someone send them to you. You just get the five or six varieties in the chain grocery stores.

This one was new this week. I tried it today. Nice, I liked it! Mostly sweet, but a little bit of tang to it. Hard, not mushy. Huge, nice color.

Let me know if you see any Wild Twists and try them. I would like to hear what you think.

Is this the biggest news or the most important thing that happened today? No, not even close. But a lot of the big stuff is bad and worse. This was a good thing. Some days you need to pick your victories wherever you can find them, regardless of size.

A win is a win.

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January 7, 2026 · 23:20

Proof Of Life – January 07th

Between today’s news, yesterday’s news, the news of the last year, the news of the last ten years, life, the universe, and everything, simply starting to scream is high on my list of things to do. I’m just not sure that I could stop.

I did get a haircut, and I can hear train whistles. I guess things don’t TOTALLY suck.

Tomorrow might be better. That possibility is what gets me up every morning. And prevents a 5150 hold. Well, that and Diet Coke (my caffeine substrate of choice).

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Filed under Deep Thoughts, Paul, Photography, Politics

January 3, 2026 · 23:55

Why Is There Brain Freeze?

Especially when you’re eating ice cream. Ice cream is by definition a perfect good. How come it can be turned into a nightmare, a horrible, painful thing by brain freeze?

This is proof to me that there is no kind, benovolent, loving, omnipotent God or Creator. There may be a Creator, or we may be in a simulation of some sort, but there’s no omnipotence involved. There are any number of errors or bugs in the system.

On the ultimate scale of horrors, the top billing of course goes to things like childhood cancer or worms that have their larva grow in your eyeballs and blind you for life. Not to mention the existance and ongoing lack of consequences for a whole raft of current US politicians. Despite all of the press it gets in Bible, we’re not seeing nearly enough smiting these days.

But having had a busy, stressful day and persevering and getting things accomplished and rewarding yourself with some quality ice cream, only to be BLINDED by unstoppable pain after like three bites, that’s gotta be up there on the list. And it’s very personal. (Not that eyeball larva isn’t…)

I’d like to talk to the manager, please!

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Filed under Deep Thoughts, Moral Outrage, Paul, Photography, Politics, Religion

January 2, 2026 · 23:52

Random Old Photos – January 02nd

Oh, god, this office. The guy who was in this office. The stories behind him being hired, and then being fired six months later. The stories I could tell if the statute of limitations on slander ever expires. But isn’t the truth an absolute defense against slander?

I was telling someone about this guy and my experiences with him just the other day. Maybe that subconscious trigger led me to this set of pictures when I was looking for something random to share.

Or, he’s haunting me. Could go either way.

Frankly, if I’m going to be haunted, I would prefer someone much different. More succubussy, for starters.

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