Dinner with AL?

Happy Saturday morning, and I was wrong, Nespresso coffee is now my after-lunch go-to. Morning coffee is made by using a hardly used French Press — and with McCoffee beans it’s a most excellent way to start the day.

Hello from deep in the heart of Texas.

Wednesday – October 16 – we remembered the 7th anniversary of Vince’s passing. A visit to the cemetery gave pause remembering and reflection on the fragility of life. In place of some flowers, we followed the Jewish tradition by placing a pebble on Vince’s marker. We brought a pebble selected from Kirstin’s back yard and the home Vince insisted they purchase.

New since I visited last, Kirstin found a way to properly display the many medals Vince had earned as part of his Iron Man finishes. They now add color to the main hallway.

Zoom – the twice weekly exercise session I have with my brothers via Zoom did not stop while here. I brought my laptop, Kirstin supplied a remote camera, Yoga mat and weights. Voila, yesterday morning we were in the exercise business. And yes, I did manage a bit of a sweat.

Since the temperature eased up, I did manage to do about 4 miles through the neighborhood. About 2/3 of the way I became aware of a group of Turkey Vultures settling down. Thinking they were sizing me up, it quickly downed on me that I needed to increase my pace. Yes, I made it back in good shape.

ACL at 50 – Thursday evening we watched a live stream of the Austin City Limits (ACL) 50th anniversary. The 1st ACL featured a young Willie Nelson and for the 50th it was a slightly older Willie Nelson. With a glass of Bulleit Bourbon alongside, Kirstin and I had a lovely time watching the show.

I should point out that neither Derek nor Kellen were much into a ‘young’ or ‘old’ Willy and had vacated to their rooms within a minute or two after the program’s opening salvo.

Visiting with Kirstin has other benefits – music. She enjoys a solid variety as do I so these get togethers are lots of fun. We did have a bit of a discussion regarding seeing Lyle Lovett and his Big Band tomorrow (we’re not).

Closed & almost forgotten – The last full-scale Kmart in the continental US is set to close Sunday in Bridgehampton, New York, marking the end of an era for the once-iconic retailer. Remember the “Blue Light Special” — instant discount announcements. Kmart struggled to compete with Walmart, Target, and others including Amazon and Ebay.

Not that the loss of Kmart holds anything special for me, other than that my sailing buddy of years ago had a brother-in-law who held a managerial position with that company. As I’ve witnessed that company (along with Sears) die their slow death, primarily through an ongoing series of missteps, I keep wondering where and how he landed.

Best quote: from the Al Smith Dinner: “the good-natured Celebrity Roast shtick at some Papist Friars’ Club?”. This year President Trump was making his speech while back-slapping Senator Chuck Schumer next to him. Even better was this comment by Mark Steyn regarding Trumps speech: “it was an impressive performance given that Letitia James, New York Attorney-General, was sitting in the row behind. Even Jean Valjean didn’t play Open Mic Night with Javert sitting on the dais.”

The List – of the ‘small’ list of ‘to-dos’ has been whittled down. My favorite was Kirstin’s bathroom ceramic sink which had a small hole in it (known in her household as the ‘nail-polish bottle affair’). The fix now requires a magnifying glass to spot. Add gate straightening, a saggy door adjustment, and a few more minor items and all is now well.

Blink 2024 – is the one event that I hated to miss. Thirty city blocks of immersive light show and art. It started with an opening parade on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday.

Here’s a short news intro of what I’ll be missing:

And here is how it looked on night one:

Last week I mentioned that I dealt with an issue capturing my eTickets for tonight’s MLS soccer game – Austin FC and the Colorado Rapids. Monday morning all was resolved. My tickets are safely posted on my eWallet. Now I best sit down with the lads and explain the fine details of the ‘beautiful’ game.

Marcia advised me not to put them to sleep.

Life is AMAZING!

May Peace prevail! Shalom.

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

We all instinctively understand just how difficult and infuriating it is to cancel something, anything. Gym membership, AARP, Syrius/XM Radio, magazine subscription, even diving out from underneath bundles of those never ending unwanted advertisements. Well, the government has come to the rescue. Which agency has sparked the ‘single click to cancel’ rule?

Or as President Reagan so famously said, “I’m from the government and here to help”?

1) “IRS”
2) “HRSP”
3) “FAA”
4) “FTC”
5) “JMD”
6) “OJP”
7) “SAUSA”