Don't toss that

When you know slang words in other dialects of English, some things are unintentionally funny.
[Source]

A bank killer of a move

In November 2021, I refinanced the mortgage on our Hawaii house. We locked in a 1.99% interest rate on the remaining principal (~$590k) for 30 years.

Fast forward to today, and Republic First bank has gone gone into receivership. Why? Because in 2021, "Previous leadership invest[ed] heavily in long-duration securities with low fixed interest rates." As interest rates have risen since then, those securities have declined in value.
Then, in 2022, Republic First "grew [its] jumbo mortgage portfolio at below-market interest rates." Although our refinance was through a different lender, that very well describes what we did to the bank we refinanced with. We locked got a fixed, jumbo mortgage at what is now a below market rate. Not just below market, but below the current inflation rate.

Whether or not that situation is widespread, or if it represents a serious threat to the banking industry, only time will tell. Regardless, it represents one of the few time, to paraphrase Danny Ocean, when I've had the perfect hand, and I've bet big, and taken the house.

How do I get out? Make an Exodus

I think of the word "Exodus" as pretty special -- something you only see in the Bible. But to Greeks, it's completely ordinary -- you can see it on the highway, above fire escapes, whatever. It means nothing more than "exit."

That's very different perspective.

In memory of Ian Gilliam

Today my kids participated in an event I thought would come much later in life: their first funeral for a peer. Ian Andrew Gilliam committed suicide on December 4th. He was one of my son's classmates, and the older brother of one of my daughter's friends. They also knew him from their JROTC activities.

C has been helping her friend deal with a lot of the "curiosity questions" that their middle school acquaintances inevitably have. Questions like "how?" and "why?" seem simple, but repeating the answers over and over again doesn't exactly help with the grieving process. C is walking her friend to her classes and supporting her decisions on healthy boundaries.

Ian's mother told a story about him at the funeral. Apparently, he was draining his lunch account fund faster than his sister, and when his mom looked up what he was spending his money on, she saw that he was buying two cookies after lunch every day.

"Why do you need two cookies every day?" she asked. He answered that one was for him, and the second one he was giving to another student -- a non-verbal, autistic classmate.

One day, Ian came home particularly excited, she said. The boy had told him, "Thank you."

Ian's death is impacting all of us. He was two weeks younger than my son. Like me, he had a slightly younger sister and a much younger brother. For me, it's crushing to look at pictures of them all together, and think of the ones I've had that they never will.

This world needed Ian in it.
It is a tragedy that it doesn't anymore.

Canyon

This is my mom's dog, Canyon. Canyon was a "COVID dog," which is a term I just learned. His previous owner got him during the pandemic, when people were spending a lot of time at home and feeling socially isolated.

Then, when restrictions were lifted and people had to go back to work (like, in person), those owners had a hard time taking care of their pets.

Canyon wasn't getting enough outside exercise, and his muscles atrophied. He's a collie -- a breed that isn't a good choice if you want a house-bound lap dog. That previous owner surrendered him, and after being fostered, my mom got him.

Canyon's since gotten stronger -- he can jump into the back of her SUV now -- but it's a shame that his experience ever happened in the first place.

Don't get a pet unless you're ready to commit, and you're able to provide what that particular breed needs.

The Mineral Point food desert

You cannot buy a carrot in Mineral Point, WI.

They're not illegal; folks there like them just fine. The problem is that -- since the grocery store closed down -- the town of 2,500 has become a "food desert."


Now, there's plenty of "food," if you want to call it that. The Dollar General offers packaged crackers, cereal, and other dry goods. And the Kwik Trip gas station convenience stores offer rows and rows of beef jerky, frozen pizzas, energy drinks, and potato chips. One gas station had a produce section, but it didn't have any carrots.

If you want a bag of flour, a crown of broccoli, or a head of lettuce, you have to drive at least 15 minutes away. The best they can do around here is a snack pack or a $7 salad.

It's ironic because Mineral Point is surrounded by miles and miles of prime agricultural land (dedicated to corn and soybeans) in the #3 U.S. state for carrot production. [Source]

Nevertheless, "Recent grocery store closures in the rural Midwest have created food deserts even in towns where agriculture is the primary industry." [Source]

As you can guess, there are serious long-term health challenges to this. We're not starving -- in fact, we have an obesity problem. It's that we're being starved for good choices. Forced to choose between healthy or convenient, with the time costs of "healthy" going up, we will inevitably choose the latter more often. It's the same cruel tragedy as in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner (link).

Except here it's:
Food, food everywhere,
Yet not a healthy bite to eat.

Wiesbaen aromatherapy

Situated as it is on a series of hot springs, Wiesbaden's rain drainage system literally steams in cool weather.
Some joker (not me) had the bright idea to leave an orange rind right in the middle of this manhole cover.

This, then, is aromatherapy, Wiesbaden style.