Back in 2015 we all went to Italy and I rented a villa in the northern outskirts of Rome. Having spent my formative high school years in Rome, it seemed like a fun thing to do that summer since my youngest son Thomas was studying in Rome for the summer. We did what we had done a number of times and at other locations, which was to rent a large villa that could accommodate 15…
A Funny thing happened on the way into 2025. We were promised by candidate and president-elect Trump that he would immediately bring the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to a brisk end. It’s been almost 90 days since the inauguration and whatever ceasefire existed in Gaza has been overtaken by events and resulted in Israel continuing to execute attacks on Gaza’s Palestinian community. As for Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the man who Trump has called a…
As most of you already know, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck south of Julian, a quaint alpine town on the border of the Anza Borrego desert and the apple pie capital of the west, on Monday. It was the strongest earthquake to hit San Diego County since 2010. I bought our hilltop in early 2012. The history of San Diego Earthquakes is more significant than I realized, dating back centuries, though it experiences fewer major…
A profound question for the ages that has challenged philosophers, theologians, and thinkers across cultures and throughout history is why evil exists. There are several perspectives on why evil exists. From a theological standpoint, many traditions grapple with the “problem of evil” – how to reconcile the existence of suffering with an all-powerful, all-knowing, and benevolent deity. Some propose that evil is the necessary consequence of free will, allowing humans to make moral choices. Others…
I remember when my mother first retired in the mid-1980’s, she rented a small house in Las Vegas to be near my sister and her young family. The thing she liked best about the house was that there were several fruit trees in the back yard that yielded plums and nectarines for her. I remember wondering why that was such a big deal since there were plenty of those fruits available at the supermarket. But…
A few months ago I mentioned in one of my stories that one of Donald Trump’s golfing pals, Steve Witkoff was a shocking choice to me as the new Middle East negotiator on the Israeli/Gaza situation. I likened in to the equally shocking choice of Jerrod Kushner for that role in Trump’s first administration. Of course, Jerrod got what he wanted from the gig after the Emirates and Saudi Arabia (via his big bud, MBS)…
It is still early April and yet the weather here on our hilltop has turned summer-like. The weather forecast says it will be 80 degrees, but if the hilltop holds true to form, that means it will likely be in the mid-80s at least. My annual AC checkup was last week and the system is raring to go, as are the Big Ass fans on the ceiling, which are already slowly turning as though to…
While we were rounding Cape Hirn last month, Viking showed the movie Master and Commander, starring Russel Crowe as the captain of a British Naval vessel who is chasing a Spanish galleon through the Southern Ocean waters, trying to capture its prize trade booty before peace got declared back home between their two nations. The concept of rushing to justify larceny rather than anticipating peace was somehow portrayed as noble and manly in an era…
I had an interesting conversation this morning with Mike & Melisa. We are of a like mind about how we each want to maintain the aesthetic “curb appeal” of our homes. Neither of us is trying to sell our properties and neither of us are located on our streets in places that get tons of passerby traffic. So, I think its fair to say that we care about how our properties look for our own…
Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” is one of the most iconic songs in popular culture, often associated with a carefree, beach-focused lifestyle. The song itself has its own cultural impact that has been substantial and multi-faceted. It defines the “Island Escapism” Lifestyle, crystallizing a specific American fantasy – escaping the rat race for a laid-back tropical paradise where worries melt away with frozen drinks and ocean breezes. In keeping with yesterday’s story, it is, perhaps, the best…