Yesterday after I gave in to a craving for chocolate and nuts. I picked up sugar-free Lily’s chocolate, a jar of dry roasted peanuts, a bag of roasted almonds and 2 bananas from the grocery store for a gorge fest. It was delicious – except for the almonds which were somewhat meh. An hour later,…
Illegal
When I was younger I had friends who would righteously step out in front of moving cars at intersections while proclaiming “The law says drivers must yield to pedestrians.” I knew others who would brake check people who were tailgating them saying, “They’re legally responsible if they hit me.” It seemed to so obvious to…
Thinner
Last February, I made a decision to eat less so I could lose the weight I had gained over the previous 2 years. It worked, as I detailed here. Since then, I continued to eat a little less and measure my volume of food vs. eating mindlessly while watching Netflix. I sleep better now because…
Taking It Easy
Sometime during my late 40s, after 22 years, I stopped lifting weights. During the previous 5 years, I had transitioned from a typical bodybuilding routine to a routine based on functional exercises including TRX, kettlebells, sled dragging, bodyweight, medicine balls, rings, plyometrics, climbing, sprinting, etc. THis type of training was a lot of fun for…
Reasonable Vs. Rational
On a recent episode of his podcast, Morgan Housel was discussing his new book, The Art Of Spending Money. He said that regardless of how rational we think we can be regarding money, that our behaviors regarding money will be influenced by our upbringing, environment, experiences and emotions. He then used himself as an example….
Surrounded By A$$holes
I have never liked being around people who are cruel, vindictive, dishonest, negative, bitter or manipulative. Still, like most of us, there have been many times in my life, where this was unavoidable: Still, in all cases, even as a young child, I exercised whatever power I had to minimize my time around unsavory characters….
Deeper Roots
When I bought my house in Raleigh in 2019, I didn’t expect to live here forever. Based on my track record, I figured I’d be moving again within a few years. It’s just what I do. I’ve been here now for 6 ½ years. That’s the longest I have ever lived in one place. What…
Tapping Out For Good?
In 2021, I wrote about not having it in me to be someone’s caretaker. At the time, it was two years after my wife had died. Two years later in 2023, I wrote that my heart had hardened against caring deeply for people I don’t love. Now, in 2025, I find myself thinking about how…
There’s Only So Many Things That Could Be Wrong
My newly installed faucet in my master bathroom developed a leak from under the handle. The leak was so slow that for almost a week, I thought it wasn’t a leak. I thought it was because I tend to splash a lot of water all over this sink since this is my main bathroom where…
Antisocial Weirdo
A neighbor, who I see several times a week while walking the dogs, invited me to his annual chili cook-off party last week. He invited me last year too. At the time, I said maybe I’d come if I could make it. (I didn’t go last year). This time, I was more upfront. I thanked…