These are very interesting times we are living in. I could go on about what's been happening in Minneapolis recently, but I am not. Anything I could say about it has already been duplicated many times over on social media platforms and comments sections of news sites that choose to have them. And as it is, this really isn't something I feel like discussing, thus this post will be odds, ends, and random musings. So here we go.
As of the past couple of months I have developed an appreciation for hot sauces like never before. This started some six months ago when I started putting some on some of the food that I eat, and bolstered more by that trip to New Mexico last November. I have since broken open those bottles that I've brought back. I've since discovered that most of the brands I got over there can be gotten over here, with one exception, and that being the La Anita red sauce that I got in a four ounce bottle. That was one of my favorites of that bunch, with El Yucatero being almost rocket fuel and is used somewhat sparingly.
Of the major brands, my favorite are the Cholula sauces, with their red sauce and their chili garlic sauce being the favorites there. Zing, but not rocket fuel. I still have those chili pods that I brought back from Silver City and yes, I really need to get off my sitting end and make some from scratch. I have found that adding sauce has helped some with my digestive tract. The issues I had been having have since passed with using sauces. I am convinced that there are health benefits to these sauces. I don't usually add them though when we're out to eat at any Mexican place, since the local favorite dishes don't need any additional ingredients.
Also over the past couple of months, I've been very busy in ham radio. The thinking is that the solar peak has passed, and the we're in the downward slope of the solar cycle. I am trying to make the most of these conditions while we have them. I'm up to 159 countries worked already. I've also made some good friends via the local ham radio club scene, as that I'm active in two clubs and I've learned a lot.
Over in the precious metals market, I'm amazed at what gold and silver has done, especially silver. I have kicked myself many times over for not buying more gold back when it was $310 an ounce or so, but I did stock up on silver coins when silver was $4.50 an ounce. I wanted to get some dates/mints that I didn't have, and the side benefit was that I regarded it as a long term investment. I could sell off 10% of what I bought and recover the dollars that I put into it, but it goes without saying that the dollars I recover are worth less than what I spent back in the day. I can make the argument that I should have bought more silver, but I stopped when I felt like I had had enough, aside from the one ounce bullion coins that some countries have issued. Now that silver's broken the $100 an ounce barrier, I don't see myself buying any. I'm wondering if we have a bubble here that's getting ready to burst. My gut tells me there's still some upside potential, but I'm also old enough to remember silver breaking the $50 an ounce barrier back in 1980 and how far it fell from that level before it picked up again.
As for retirement, I'll admit that I've toyed with the idea of coming out of it and returning to one of my former employers as a consultant, but that won't be happening until April at the earliest if I do. If the work is interesting I could see doing some. Thing of it is, I have given myself too much to do, some of it fun, some of it necessary, and things aren't where I want them to be. My problem is that if I get too close to the goalposts then I move them further back. Maybe deep down inside there's this fear of not having enough to do. I have changed jobs on the grounds that there wasn't enough to do. I am busier now than I was a year ago, and yes, I sometimes joke about going back to the workforce so that I can get some rest.
Yes, there's more to do. More recipes to try out. More books to read. Some foreign languages to study. Some things to sort out. Some guns to shoot. Some fish to catch. Some places to visit. And some family history to research.
And speaking of which, there is an unverified trace to William the Conqueror, as well as an unverified trace to Charlemagne. I have read where ole William is the ancestor to quite a percentage of those of British blood, and I've got at least a pint of British blood flowing thru my veins. I probably ought to go ahead and pop for one of those DNA tests.
With that I'm going to call this one a wrap, and maybe in the next entry or two I'll do some musing about Star Trek.
Cheers, beers, and don't forget to pet a dog or a cat!
