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I thought I would jump in from the cheap seats here and help out Sarge and Juvat. Not to worry, no politics today.  I did that recently and don't have the stomach for it today. 

Speaking stomachs, back on October 1st Sarge wrote about how he's been eating well, indulging in a delicious salad. With my cardiologist recommending eating better, I have started eating salads more on the regular. Which is healthy and keeps me regular! However my salads can't just be a basic lettuce tomato and croutons, or maybe a cucumber sliced up in there too, but it needs to be much more varied. I prefer a very colorful and crunchy salad, with croutons and or tortilla chips or those little tiny bagel or pita chips in there, maybe some sliced grapes, cranberries and walnuts, shredded carrots, maybe some grated cheese, and mandarin orange segments. All of that over a base of a chopped salad is my favorite, as I prefer that over chunky lettuce pieces. However, it must also have some protein, and my preferred is some grilled chicken that is still warm, maybe a mesquite filet, chopped up into slices or small chunks. I don't necessarily have all of that in one salad, but the more stuff the better. A tasty colorful textured meal helps me enjoy it and tricks me into thinking it's not as healthy as it is. I realize that adding cheese and dressing takes a little bit of a that healthiness away but baby steps. I like a raspberry vinaigrette and with that some cranberries and some other crunchies are good. If it's some sort of Asian ginger dressing then the more Mandarin segments the better, and the fried wontons for the crunchies. I love a chunky blue cheese dressing, and that requires some apple chunks or slices and some walnuts, maybe a big leafy green like spinach and a spring mix. Anyway, more than you wanted to know about my salad interests but eating healthier has been on my mind.

Eating more salad has got to be cheaper right?  I hope so, as we have been hit with a ton of unexpected bills recently.  First off was a steady leak we discovered after the last big rain we had here when Hurricane Rachel weakened into a Tropical Storm and passed through.  Fortunately we don't need a new roof, just a couple sections of the roof need repairing, but it's still a healthy chunk out of our savings.  Fortunately we can swing it without anything more than me grumbling about it.  

Some car stuff too.  First off, my wife's car needed new tires.  Then her windshield separated a little and that same rain leaked into the cabin.  USAA covered it, but I have a high deductible.  When it rains, it pours, literally.  

Speaking of cars, did you all see the video of Elon musk's latest invention, the flying car? No?  Well here you go!

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That man is the living embodiment of a mad scientist. Ok, maybe "mad" isn't the best description, but amazing and unconstrained is definitely apt. That car isn't exactly practical, and while we don't want the CHP* to become the FAA, it is pretty amazing what he creates. He has transformed space flight, electric vehicles, solar power, and satellite internet access. Whatever he sets his mind to he likely will achieve, and having mostly infinite resources does greatly enable his inventive streak. 

There's been a long-standing joke about flying cars that we were promised.  We've been dreaming about them since the 50's or 60's I'd guess and no one has really delivered, until now.**  To be honest, it's just a concept car and not a production model.  It's filled with compressed air and uses thrusters borrowed from SpaceX tech.  Not sure there's much room for all the rest of the things we want in a car, but he's really good at building, testing, and failing until he gets it right.  He just may have it right already, but it'll be fun to see what he has planned for it next.  Even if we don't get flying production cars, that tech could be useful for safety aspects, preventing rollovers and such.  I guess it is supposed to go into production in 2028, but are we really ready for flying cars?  There's already questions about what agency would regulate it, so my FAA comment, while tongue-in-cheek, isn't that far off.  I expect my finances will regulate it right out of the realm of possibility for me, as it will many others.

It seems Elon's imagination knows no bounds.  He has also been this year's largest donor for political campaigns. I'm glad he's on my side of most issues***.

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I will try not to blow out my flip flop there.

In my last post I mentioned the travel my wife and I have planned; a bucket list to tick off in the near-term before we hit the age that too many of my relatives never got the chance to reach. I was recently informed about a Knights of Columbus meeting we get to attend in the Bahamas next March.  It's due to the work I did last year as California's Membership Director.  I've been told it's more of a reward than a true business meeting, but I'm ok with that, or at least I will be.  Of course my Catholic guilt has interfered with the anticipation of the trip, and I'm thinking of how much charity could be done with the money for it all.  Don't worry, I won't feel the guilt for long.  About 20 State Membership Directors will be attending, all expenses paid.  

Now that I'm not as busy with KofC work, I've had some time to watch some decent TV shows, and a few that aren't all that great.  On the good side of that ledger I strongly recommend 

Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman as the leader of a disgraced group of MI-5 agents, all banished to "Slough House."  After the finale on Thursday, I'll pick up The Diplomat again on Netflix.  Sarge is just starting it, but my wife and I have been invested for a while. 

Another one I really enjoyed was Jackal, based on Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal.  He's one of my favorite authors and while the 90s era movie remake starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere wasn't very good, this recent adaption into a series is very well done.  If you haven't read the book or seen the original movie from 1973, those too are highly recommended.

Ted Lasso.  Watch it.  Enough said.

As for the not-so-good, a show I really liked for the first couple seasons, but has dropped off quickly is Reacher.  I've read nearly all of the Lee Child books and like the character - a huge former Army MP officer who’s sharp, capable, and always on the move.  The first two season were great.  The third was good, but the 4th has deviated from the source material too much and the story is unrealistic, with Reacher doing things he never would have.  I guess it's been renewed for 2 more season though.  Not sure I'll tune in.  The Tom Cruise movies were meh.

Anyhoo, that's all I've got for today.  Let me know if you've watched any of those and if you plan to watch.

*California Highway Patrol.  Or choose your own State traffic police agency.

**I'm not counting the VTOL airplanes with wheels that have been developed over the past decade.

***It's nice to have a counter to Soros who just funds chaos.