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My neighbors had a second baby over the Thanksgiving Weekend and I couldn’t be happier for them. I’ve watched them raise their first kid from his baby days to today – now nearly 5 years later. They are loving, doting parents. They are tightly connected with both of their families – frequently spending time with…

I swam at a nearby Lifetime Fitness Club on Thanksgiving Day using a free guest pass from my neighbor. The facility was amazing. It is massive with bright multistory glass alcoves. It has mirrors, marble and tiles worthy of some of the nicest resorts I’ve ever visited. It had 2 indoor pools, 2 outdoor pools…

In addition to the price of groceries, utilities, gas and many staples, I am now seeing that just about everything I buy has increased in price over the past year. I don’t believe it is “just inflation”. Like I’ve said before, if you follow the money, it is clear that companies are taking advantage of…

My 90 year old girlfriend told me when I walk with my dogs past her home each morning, her Ring doorbell captures us on video and sends her an alert. At the grocery store, I am being recorded in the aisles, at the checkout counter and when I enter and leave. When I swam at…

One of my friends, like myself, is a guy who does a fair amount amount of DIY projects. He’s a self-taught jack-of-all-trades who has cobbled together a wider skill set than my own. In addition to being able to handle basic plumbing, electrical, drywall patching, painting and minor repairs, he’s also learned how to weld,…

My water heater replacement did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. The plumber arrived around 2PM, checked everything out and got to work immediately. Around 5:30 PM, he called me over to show me that a vent pipe elbow he was connecting to was broken. He explained that he could not use it…

I had plans for my entire day and the entire Thanksgiving holiday weekend mapped out in my head to get me through it with minimal inconvenience and fuss. I confirmed where and when I could swim when my regular pool was closed. I hit the grocery store Monday morning to avoid the onslaught of amateur…

Yesterday, I helped the plumber take my new water heater upstairs. He had a special stair-climbing dolly, but to negotiate the turns we had to stand it straight up and manually lift the dolly with the water heater strapped to it. I’d estimate it was over 200 lbs With two fit men working together, it…

Except when I applied to college as a high school senior, nobody has ever asked to see my high school diploma, let alone my “permanent record” or my transcripts. Given all the pressure and importance bestowed on attendance and good grades for 12 years of mandatory education, you’d think someone might have looked at least…

I like Christmas Season. I like walking the dogs and seeing the houses all lit up with decorations. I like seeing trees inside people’s homes and their families and friends gathering for a Christmas party. I like how everyone seems to be a little bit kinder, gentler and easygoing. But if it was up to…