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Daily Thoughts and Inactivity

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The freedom of procrastination

One of the best parts of retirement, perhaps the absolute best part of retirement is the freedom associated with procrastinating one’s day away with delaying “must be done” tasks until some future unknown time. This tactic is not part of my personality and I rarely delay personal tasks. Debbie’s presence changes this, however, and sometimes I forget to do things. It has become over time a relaxed existence with Debbie in my life.

A heart attack inspires me to relaxation. The cardio rehabilitation classes that I participated in for twelve weeks or so, those are now complete, emphasize relaxation techniques which centered on breathing and yoga-like mental control. I have come to recognize the value of having an external commitment to consistent exercise. Cardio rehab taught me this. Previously I did not see the value of a class-like exercise program. I am autonomous in nature and prefer to operate alone. Competition with others does is not interest me. I do, however, find that a little push does get me moving to exercise.

I have been and am procrastinating about finding another commitment to exercise such as the cardio rehab class made available as part of my heart attack recovery program. Health insurance paid for these exercise classes.

I thought I would be rigorous enough in my pursuit of bike riding. An attainable goal of mine is twenty miles in one ride. Persistence is necessary but elusive. I have discovered a little untruth within me, I tell myself I will ride more, maybe every day but sitting still is easier and some days more satisfying.

I am a member of a local YMCA. In the past Cheryl and I went there regularly to exercise. She to a deep water aerobics class that she selected as her own recovery program from an automobile accident which left her weakened on her left side. Me to the gym to pedal an upright stationary bike and lift a few random weights. I also took a Pilates class that required no special equipment. We did this rigorously for a decade or so. Life happens and she is gone now.

I will start by riding consistently five miles each day.

Maybe tomorrow.

Carpe Diem.

HOA – and other thoughts

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A home owners association is the lowest form of government. In our little group of condos, I accepted the task of president. A lofty sounding office with no pay and occasional grief and I should add a job, position, office and title one cannot get rid of without death or at a minimum sale of one’s own real estate. I wish to do neither.

Recently one of our residents began the process of making application for a home improvement loan from a local bank. The bank loan office is plowing through its own internal procedure for finding out if a condominium is of a certain value and more importantly if the loan goes south what other obligations it has after it takes the property in foreclosure.

Banks and their loan staff are masters at covering their asses. Two times in the form sent to me as President and chief executive officer of the Crestpointe Condominium Unit Homeowners Association Inc. (lofty), they asked the question – Is there a special assessment in place or will there be a special assessment coming soon? – twice.

I wonder why that is important to the loan? If I had a bank officer nearby, I would ask.

I pressed on in my head about other questions; the previous owners did an extensive rehab before selling, what needs fixing? And is there a mortgage? How much equity remains?

Debbie and I discuss often the rabbit holes I fall into as I think about nuances of the various properties we have looked at the past few weeks. She likes imagining a different house and refers to herself as a hobby realtor. (One day we may find a better living situation than the one we currently have but that is off in the future somewhere, hiding where the universe put it.) Those discussions sent me to the county auditor’s website which tells a story about previous ownership. Sometimes it leads me to imagine previous life histories, although the stories can be fictional.

There is no mortgage. The resident paid cash. The previous ownership page does tell a story. I merely have not sussed out the time line completely.

I am still wondering about the resident’s need for a loan to repair or rehab what was done previous to his purchase. The houses Debbie and I look at are often recently rehabbed perhaps to justify a bigger selling price. How much does a $40 can of paint add to the final selling price.

A question for another day.

Carpe Diem.

Assumption based on Facts not in Evidence

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Often I hear people make statements about ideas they believe to be true. What is it within us that excites us to passionately argue for some idea that is merely opinion, our opinion, no one else’s opinion.

If I miss-type opinion it comes out onion. Onions are bulb root veggies that grow in layers. Onions become metaphors, plant metaphors, for other thoughts and ideas.

“That is just wrong on so many layers!” Have ever heard that comment? I have. I have made that comment before about something. What does that mean to you?

To me it merely means that the nuances of some idea are wrong.

Recently I posted on Facebook, the fact based forum where anybody may post any comment about any idea or article, the link to an article from the New York Times. My opening comment: “Remarkable in many ways… Makes you understand why he called previous guy sleepy Joe. I hadn’t thought about before but Donnie is like Elvis – he’s everywhere, he’s everywhere! He’s in Joan Rivers but he’s trying to get out!” set off an unintended firestorm of commentary among my grandchildren and their great uncle. Other family and friends leaped into the breach to defend, contrast, explain and even chastise the poster.

Admittedly I did not read the complete article. I did look at and read the pictures associated with it. That cursory examination supported my own view that once the weather forecast happened and the latest Donald Trump comments went by, there was little of interest to me on the morning news shows. I observed that our current president seems almost despondent if he is not leading the headlines.

It sounds unkind to my own ear when I write that but this assumption of mine is based on facts very much in evidence by the New York Times as well as other news sources. Mr. Trump refers to any derogatory news article as fake news – but is not all news gossip?

Much like the wizard in Dorothy’s dream about Oz, who says, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” Mr. Trump diverts attention as much as he is able when the gossip is unflattering and attracts attention when it suits. Occasionally he has fired the messenger. It is great entertainment.

John F. Kennedy embraced the media of television when it suited him. Franklin Roosevelt’s medium was radio. Donald Trump embraces social media and select interviewers on select networks. Part of the entertainment value is listening to reporters inane questions and hearing his peculiar insults when they ask questions that although impertinent are meaningful. On his social media platform Truthsocial he can ignore any commentary and take the pulse of his supportive base. On camera he is compelled to respond regardless.

I started with opinions and onions. Some onions are sweet and other onions are, well, oniony. Onions build themselves in layers as they develop. Opinions develop differently and similarly. Opinions do not require facts to develop. Opinions do require support but not necessarily facts.

Facts solidify opinions either pro or con.

I have read the complete article.

The victorious man in the day of crisis is the man who has the serenity to accept what he cannot help and the courage to change what must be altered. – Reinhold Niebuhr

The debate rages onward.

Carpe Diem.

I Suppose

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I suppose many things. Supposition means to think. To start with a conjecture and take that hypothesis to an end in one’s own mind.

Evangelism markets those thoughts to the world.

Reactionism responds to those ideas.

It is a circle. It is a discussion, rather, it could be a civil discussion of ideas and beliefs. Sometimes, maybe many times, it is not.

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My term – reactionism – merely means reaction and what one does with their reaction to the stimulus of an idea. In Miriam Webster – my favorite authority – 1a: the act or process or an instance of reacting; b: resistance or opposition to a force, influence, or movement; especially: tendency toward a former and usually outmoded political or social order or policy. – This from their web pages.

There are, of course, many ways to react to ideas and the evangelical marketing of them to other folks with different beliefs or no interest in those ideas. I personally am uninterested in what wine pairs with which dish on the menu of a nice restaurant. I personally am resistant to hyperbole – “OMG” in SMS text messages – and the like, but that is just me. I personally am resistant to the extreme negativity of comments that appear on various social media platforms and at the same time fascinated by what total strangers will say to one another when they are not speaking in person. And yet, I do not equate disagreement with disrespect of another person as some do.

Violence and termination of another person’s life for an idea is disrespectful disagreement in the extreme.

I did not know Charles Kirk. We do not know if the person who killed him had gone mental about his ideas or was merely testing his/her/their prowess as a sharp shooter. We may never know the reason, and yet, as human beings, we long for the answer to why.

Jesus Christ was killed for his ideas. Julius Caesar was killed for his ideas. Abraham Lincoln was killed for his ideas. Mahatma Gandhi was killed for his ideas. Medgar Evers was killed for his ideas. Robert F. Kennedy was killed for his ideas. Martin Luther King was killed for his ideas. John F. Kennedy was killed for his ideas. Written history is full of examples. No doubt prewritten history is also. Those ideas live on in religions, movements, political parties and other organizations. Ideas cannot be killed. The messenger can be given the opportunity to do so by a reactionary.

So the question remains; why?

Only He knows the answer. … And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. (Max Ehrmann)

I will add: Do not be envious of other’s happiness. Rejoice with them and celebrate it.

Carpe Diem.

Stitching Together Financial Noise

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The world of business and markets and trade and economics and human behavior is and has been and will forever be a fascination to me.

From the WSJ: … One illusion that’s bursting is that Mr. Trump is imposing tariffs in the cause of free trade. He’s imposing tariffs because he likes them as an economic policy. … There’s a mood of triumphalism in MAGA circles because the sky didn’t fall after Mr. Trump announced the highest tariffs in memory on April 2. But he retreated from that fiasco after a financial market panic. (my bolding) Mr. Trump’s tariffs on present course would take $300 billion in border taxes from the productive economy this year, and he seems bent on going higher. That’s an anti-growth tax increase, and an arbitrary one…

To many, me included, $300 billion (with a “B”) seems like a lot but in the context of the deficit, a trivial sum. As a percentage it is not even a rounding error.

More from the NYT: …Economists expect the tariffs, which Mr. Trump sees as a way to revive American manufacturing and add revenue to the federal budget, will reduce U.S. imports. American companies, as well as their business partners abroad, would suffer lower profit margins as the government levies are split between consumers, importers and exporters. Firms would be left with less money to pay wages and invest in their growth.

There are two sides to every coin.

(6/6/25) Meanwhile, Trump Coin, the meme cryptocurrency backed by the president, was down 12% in afternoon trading. Today coin is trading for about $8.50 each.

What does any of this mean? The takeaway seems to be America is already great. There is no AGAIN needed. As capitalists extraordinaire we will bet on anything. The market for anything and everything exists. Follow your passion. Or simply keep your money in your pocket.

Recommended reading – “The World for Sale” available on Amazon.

Carpe Diem.

News or Gossip

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Joe Biden, Jake Tapper, Alex Thompson — Biden’s health

Watching the morning news show on CBS I found myself listening to an interview with Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson both journalistic authors of a new book about health issue cover ups by the Biden staff towards the last couple years of his term in office. The point of their conversation was transparency in cognitive health of the president and other leaders in our society. Certainly, I believe, a worthwhile pursuit. Being President or serving on the SCOTUS or any other high level position in our government is cognitively stressful. It seems useful to weed out the mentally deficient, sociopaths and other mental health issues.

But how to determine the clarity of the transparency? And who to lend definitive definition to the mental issues and the transparency of the communication? A conundrum indeed.

My mind wandered off into the weeds of “Is this news? Is this gossip? And What is the difference?” I generally turn on the morning news show for companionship. I feel no strong desire to do so when others are present.

Yesterday, when Debbie was here and, although she was here, out of habit I turned on the news. We spent some time watching the show and she pointed out that I talk back during the show. It is as though I am having a conversation with the TV. It made me smile and I believe that news and gossip are names for the same activity.

When the TV folks invented TV news, it was profound and important. Edward R. Murrow and the like made it so. George Clooney is on Broadway memorializing it. But is it not merely gossip in an official form? The term gossip demeans the news reporting activity. Fake news explains to everyone which way we lean in the political landscape. (What is a political landscape? Sorry.) Is politics another form of gossip? Or is it merely advertising and selling one’s belief structure?

I am really in a deep rabbit hole this morning.

Merriam-Webster’s thesaurus, I have had a red covered one to go with my college dictionary of the same vintage for a long time but find the online version most convenient and worthy of support, displays these as useful synonyms for news: information; info; story; announcement; tidings; rumor; item; advice(s); message; intelligence; gen; word; bulletin; uncos; reportage; communication; tale; gossip; 411; feedback; tidbit; dispatch; correspondence; scoop; tip; lowdown; propaganda; tidbit; dope; tattle; disinformation. Gen, uncos and 411 have a special use in the British, Scottish and slang genres. Gossip is in the list.

The gossip entry in the same volume does not display news as a synonym for gossip. It is no doubt a unilateral relationship. Gossip can be either news or olds (repetitive stories). The term news implies something that is a new story and is factual. Gossip can have facts but those are not a requirement. Alternative facts and opinion may be presented as substance.

With Tapper and Thompson and the CBS morning crew the conversation leapt from news – they wrote a book – to we should do something about the less than forthrightness of discussion of health issues of the leadership. This last is most worthy of discussion but perhaps in a different forum. Perhaps a thoughtful show presented by a news oriented organization but not the early morning slot it got between the latest Mission Impossible movie hype and yesterday’s CBS Deals shopping segment. I find it hard to believe Nate changed his suit that fast. Why would he?

The morning news shows are just gossip after the opening fifteen minutes of weather disaster, shootings, the Trump spot and war images.

The gossip is more interesting but there is more to the day than that. I will move on.

Carpe Diem.