Bozz

bozz

<center>![PXL_20250927_163526805.NIGHT.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xyQv3BfQdTg2dBDPdzfdW8LNbGTiW7NZpVLZu3EWwEYp1QZu58pnG4jmncEKPqMj4Vd.jpg)</center>

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It's a bit crazy just how time moves so quickly.  It still seems like it wasn't that long ago that @mrsbozz and I were sitting in the doctor's office and they told me I had testicular cancer.  Actually, they never actually said the word until I asked.  I think the term they actually used was "Seminoma" which apparently is a type of cancer, but not being a doctor I didn't know that.  

You'd think that the initial diagnosis would hit you harder, and perhaps if it was a more serious case that would have been true.  It really didn't hit hard until later that night when my nieces called me to see if I was okay. That's when I finally broke down.

The next few days after the diagnosis were a whirlwind as the doctor wanted to get the tumor out as quickly as possible.  I think I probably got diagnosed on Tuesday, they performed the "radical orchiectomy" on Friday, and I was back to work on Monday.

Now, here I am eight years later and though I have to visit the doctor once a year just to be sure, 
## I am still cancer free!

I don't really know what that has to do with the opening photo, but it was a dang good BLT I had last weekend and I wanted to share it with you.

I promised @leaky20 some food photos anyway.

<center>![PXL_20250927_162519745.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgHhRVfHHcvoPrdsKUPdpQkQaHV1f7aNJTkuDbDCXgsLeFf4XrpbQ1CoR2AA1pWR42Z.jpg)</center>

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I smoked a rack of baby back ribs last weekend. It took about five hours, but they turned out really nicely.  It's too bad that @mrsbozz doesn't really like pork like this, I would have ribs a lot more often if she did.  I think I need to start packaging these by the half rack. I ended up only eating a small portion of them and then I vacuum sealed the rest up.  Either that or I need to find some more friends who like ribs!


<center>![PXL_20250927_210503863.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFTghi6enUbyANynfb7aLVubbEkjr6EhxQxNMfuQyzauUdxSZ5THiPug6r6mZENAo1N.jpg)</center>

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In case you missed it, Uptober is here and the markets are already reacting accordingly.  BTC is sitting over $120K and that $124K ATH is right around the corner.  Meanwhile, ETH is pushing $4500, and this could be the month that it finally tops $5000 from it's ATH of $4942.

As far as the rest of the altcoins, things are yet to be determined.  I'm continuing to make some moves with my HIVE.  I hope to have about 20K liquid in case the price happens to move in a positive direction.  If not, I will probably just power it all up and keep doing what I do here.

## Rising Star

I'm kind of hitting the fatigue wall with all of the clicking in Rising Star game.  I thought about liquidating my cards, but I don't think I would really get much for them.  There was a time that my legendary pink lambo might have fetched a nice amount, but that isn't the case anymore I don't think.  I never got into a lot of the other aspects of the game, but I just don't have the motivation at this point.  I know there is a lot more there than just running missions, but at this point I kind of don't care.


<center>![PXL_20250913_150331563.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23u6338K6nGkXk76DCGabLpJtqVHewT6v3x2iNFSH57B35tyS1zqTBKJh1tyvESGn6MRz.jpg)</center>

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## Class Action Settlement

Apparently a while ago I signed up for a class action lawsuit against Facebook.  It seems there is also something going on against Amazon Prime as well, but I have knowingly and willfully subscribed to Amazon Prime for a couple decades now, so I can't really argue they swindled me into anything.

Facebook on the other hand is another story and this particular lawsuit happened to be called the "Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation Settlement".  I think we can all agree that privacy is important and it's no shocker that big companies like Facebook violate our privacy all the time.  

You done got caught Facebook, and as a result, I got a massive payment of $38.36 transfered to my Venmo account.  

## Time to retire right?! 

While $40 might not be much, it puts some gas in my wife's car, so I can't really complain.


<center>![PXL_20250913_150340707.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uQrWj4fUvWPYePB6GVrrwGR1Zx3zKumwG2MjMGyjgRGmPFLL8RyRc4JTfNwQXpXSwLk.jpg)</center>

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## Travala

Uptober (October) also means it is the beginning of the fourth quarter, so that means [Travala](https://www.travala.com/ref/EALCVN) is going to be starting their next round SMART bonus contributor tasks soon.  The tasks are pretty simple and mostly involve promoting Travala on social media like X.  Given my staking tier, I end up earning about 100 AVA tokens per quarter.  It's not worth too much right now, but if the price of AVA gets near it's old ATH, that could be $800 in travel funds.

Not too bad...  Only time will tell if that ends up being the case.

## Silver and Gold

On the precious metals side of thing, I have been really interested in the posts that @thebighigg has been making lately about shipwrecks off the coast of Florida.  I recently saw a story from the end of last month about a company that recently recovered over a million dollars in gold and silver coins from a 1715 shipwreck off the coast of Florida.

The company is called Queens Jewels LLC, and they hold the salvage rights to the Spanish fleet ships that went down in a hurricane.  Apparently they have recovered over 1000 silver Reales and five gold Escudos. According to the story, the One Million worth of treasure they recovered is only a fraction of the estimated $400 million worth of riches that were reported to be on the ships.

Anyone wanna fly to Florida?!

That's all I have for you this Friday morning. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts, insights, and random photos!

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>





Discovery-it

Eight Years in Remission

<center>![PXL_20240519_131758013.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/245wDDKHnGKNtpd9YZyEPSir7EsLtTmupL5vJL2QxJFfkRaUtAjbfhosikhkAgVoZD62k.jpg)</center>

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In case you haven't noticed, there is a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world today.  It has gotten to the point that you almost think it  might be better to crawl into a hole and just keep to yourself.  Of course, we know that isn't the smart move, we need human interaction, but when 95% of that interaction leans towards the negative, are we really doing ourselves any favors?  

<center>![IMG20230520172047.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/244xsXw8nvEpUgsaz5Z33ZEQ3oXRrahmE1MeCaVXe2Ase4FZmzfVNKyFPpFaCg5HwXoPr.jpg)</center>

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You can't really see it in this photo, but just imagine off in the distance there is a river.  If you look really closely, you can see an bridge in the distance that carries vehicles over the Tittabawassee River.  Recently, as part of another reclamation project they decided to build a pedestrian bridge parallel to the auto bridge.  This pedestrian bridge will carry walkers across the river and over to a nature area that used to be an industrial building supply companies stock yard.

As a fun idea, the city thought they would take to social media and have a contest where residents could come up with a fun or meaningful name for the bridge.  I remember scrolling through that FB app when the post came across my feed about the contest.  Like a moron, I decided to check out the comments to see if anyone had any creative names.

Clearly, that was a mistake.

I was suddenly taken aback by the number of negative comments about the bridge.  Trust me, I am not naive, I know there is a lot of negativity in the world, but it was in that moment it struck me just how pervasive and prominent it is these days.

<center>![PXL_20240529_221416094.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23ujbph9D132B3GpDRUZzysyas7AnQW9AaXYeya9nmWAXzjS9btA5QWanZhLSiNaXREdw.jpg)</center>

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Personally, I prefer my bitters in an Old Fashioned, but dang if there aren't a lot of angry and bitter people out in the world today.  This example of a mundane foot bridge (not the one pictured above), is just a small example of what you can see on pretty much any social media post these days.  

It's no wonder that @ericvancewalton created the #goodvibesonly tag here on HIVE to try and highlight some of the positive out there in the midst of all the negative.  Needless to say, since this post is mainly about negativity, I won't be using that tag.

It makes me wonder though how we got to this point.  Have people just been beaten down so much over the years that negativity is their only recourse?  While I think that might be true for some folks, I am not buying that for the majority.  Perhaps I am delusional, and yes, the world is a pretty crumby place at times, but there is good here too. Enough that it should be able to counteract some of the negativity.

I'm no expert (but my wife is), and I honestly feel like a lot of this has to do with people not learning to cope with negative emotions or feelings.  

<center>![PXL_20240519_130141580.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243fn6Z29LQS3MJ6vSHsVXbR34dvvhHPmjVhdDWFJnKdBXY8HigG3Hr8jhfivuBqCbZ1x.jpg)</center>

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I've mentioned this before, but in the book "Let Them", the assertion is made that most adults have the emotional intellect of an eight year old.  It's never convenient to deal with negative emotions.  How many times have you seen a parent or adult out in public deal with a child by having them stifle their big negative emotions?

Now trust me, I don't think a full blown tantrum in the middle of a store is the answer either, but a big part of what my wife tries to teacher her students is how to recognize those big emotions and cope with them in a way that validates them, but also puts them in perspective.

Unfortunately, many of us (myself included) didn't have the blessing of having someone like @mrsbozz around to teach them that.  I don't fault my parents either, that's just how things were.  The fact that we have generations of angry people raging in the comments section of social media is proof to me that it is a systemic issue and not something that pointing the finger at someone will fix.

<center>![IMG_20180813_105442.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EpGPKwseYmdMsLKbe7RQd3NYLQYcHAKKcvdKjGtCAja1zecbNSwd2BZfWUkYPuv9cAj.jpg)</center>

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The problem is, now we have all these people bottling up these negative emotions and because they don't know how to cope, their best course of action is letting it all out in the comments section of the Internet.  It's the stupidest stuff too sometimes. I can appreciate being upset at a social injustice, or some decisions politicians are making that is going to be detrimental to the public, but a pedestrian bridge?  Come on!

No doubt they feel it is some sort of misappropriation of funds, and while that might be a valid argument, not everything is a conspiracy.  That's probably a topic for a different post!

I don't have a fix for it, and I am sure this won't be the last time I post about it.  

## I can appreciate how hard it is to be positive when we are surrounded by so much negativity

Even here on HIVE we are not immune to it.  It only takes hanging out in your favorite HIVE focused Discord channel for a few days before you start to see the negativity creep in.  Does that mean things like the DHF aren't flawed?  No, but there is a lot of positivity on the chain too, and perhaps focusing on that would do us all some good.


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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>


Reflections

That's a negative, Ghost Rider

<center>![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EoGyw4rBUHm3zNwXgV9wFr92XfrRxbNediBL1KzcSfhwVYgXJUgxNjkpa6QrC2WPFzq.png)</center>

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While I wish I was logging in this morning to write a #wednesdaywalk post sponsored by @tattoodjay, that isn't the case.  It would seem I am dropping the ball all over the place this week.  First no Three Tune Tuesday post, and now no Wednesday Walk post. To be fair, I have a very good reason...

Just a little over a week ago I went to the podiatrist (foot doctor) to have a wart looked at on my foot.  This wart and me go way back, something like thirty years to be honest.  For the better part of three decades this wart has been right on the bottom of the heel of my foot.  

I had tried various treatments over the years, but nothing ever seemed to have much of an impact on it.  In fact, just recently I spent close to a year having them use liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart and then pare away the layers hoping to get to the root of it.  Just when they thought they had it, it seemed to come right back.  The funny thing is, sometimes it would hurt, but more often than not it wouldn't, which is why I probably let it go so long. 

Anyway, this past Monday, I finally decided I had dealt with it enough, so when I went into the doctor I told him to go ahead and cut it out.  The fact that we have already met the deductible on our insurance, so this elective procedure is basically free didn't hurt either.

<center>![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EpC9sXtsw4niefcBjuXPVURCEzFSye33ZxBi8HSFCZj53tQiBJBdVFYSEKQ2ERGCe3g.png)</center>

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The doctor jabbed a really painful needle right into the bottom of my foot a couple times, and after it was numb enough, he cut the whole thing out.  I went home with a nice hole in my foot about the size of an American Quarter (and probably about as deep).  I just had a follow up this past Monday and he is really happy with the way it is healing.  Technically, I should probably be on crutches, but I have just been hobbling around making due.

Believe it or not, this post isn't really about warts though.

As the doctor and I were talking, he asked what I do for a living.  I mentioned that I work in technology and he started telling me about all of the technical challenges he has had.  Actually he seemed pretty tech savvy given his age.

As I was saying, he was telling me his tech problems and one of them just happened to be with Google Ad Sense. He logged into his website one day to find that Google Ad Sense (or whatever it is) had removed all ads from his site.  I'm assuming he was counting on the ads for some kind of revenue or to advertise his own business, so it was kind of a big deal.  He dug into it a bit and after spending a good deal of time on the phone with Google, he finally discovered the reason.

Apparently on his website he had a very small little blurb (maybe a paragraph) about a procedure he offers called PRP.  PRP stands for Platelet Rich Plasma and it is an injection where they take a concentrated solution of platelets from the patients own blood and they inject them into the injured or damaged area to promote healing.

This technique is being widely used for sports injuries and other similar injuries, but there is one caveat.  According to the doctor, this is still considered a form of experimental medicine and as such, Google has strict rules in their terms of service about experimental medicine.  

It turns out because he had that small blurb on his site, Google shut down his account and it wasn't until he removed that part about PRP that they turned things back on for him.  Pretty crazy right?

I think what is interesting about this is not only how strict they are about what they allow on sites, but also how quickly their algorithm can catch something like that to flag it and shut things down.  If you were still under the impression that Google or any other major tech company isn't watching all your data, you are fooling yourself. 

Hopefully PRP isn't something I ever need, but if I do, I guess I know where I can get it.  As much as I hate needles, it seems to be a pretty interesting piece of medicine that might have some really great uses if it ever gets past the experimental stage.  

As for my foot... My hope is that by this time next week I will almost fully healed and walking like normal again.  I'm starting to feel a bit of a bum sitting around so much!

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>


Not So Fast!

<center>![PXL_20250919_232657289.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xp4iLoaj1XwXE89fih1dKf3gbX3Ha6799AqSMKGKxZm1BG7j5iBqwhTRb4e2mF9m5zS.jpg)</center>

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After what I can only guess is a couple years worth of #threetunetuesday posts, I am finally at the point where I can't remember what songs I have shared with you and which ones I haven't.  As nothing is really sticking out to me at the moment, I am going to skip it this week.  I almost feel like I can only share new new songs with you here as most of the old ones I enjoy I have probably already covered.  I thought about sharing some of my favorite showtunes, but I figure that would probably go over about as well as sharing my favorite classical songs.  

You're welcome!

It's getting to be that time of year that I kind of dread.  More specifically as far as my HIVE account goes.  I have a mad amount of respect for people who can come up with detailed and engaging content on a daily basis.  Some might argue I do, and while I appreciate the kind words, I don't necessarily agree.

Summer is easy.  @mrsbozz and I are out camping and doing things, we might travel a bit, and there is always a lot going on.  Tons of things to blog about.  Meanwhile, as Fall settles in and the weather starts to turn colder, there isn't as much to write about besides how I stayed in my PJs all weekend and watched football.  Sure, it sounds amazing, but it isn't really that enthralling to read about.

I've been trying to think of a series that I might be able to start that could possibly resonate with some of my readers.  I've attempted to do posts about what I am watching on TV in the past, but those don't seem to get a lot of traction.  Of course, many would argue I should just post about what I want to and it shouldn't matter if they get comments or upvotes, but I think we all know that isn't very realistic.  

HIVE is considered a social network after all and the social network without the social aspect doesn't really work that well.  I also thought about doing some posts from a tech standpoint, but I don't really know what I would cover at this point.  In my early days on HIVE I had a great series where I would cover new and exciting Chrome extensions.  Unfortunately, many extensions end up having malware or spyware these days and Google is actually in the process of hobbling many extensions right now, so I am not sure picking that back up would be worth it.

I have a Google Keep list of topics that I plan on writing posts about eventually, but I know even that will eventually dry up.  Actually, as I look at the list now I see the I have 128 completed items on the list.  That's a little over a third of a year's worth of posts.  I guess that's not really too bad!  Granted, I think some of the topics I either combined into a single post, or I gave up on them, but it's still pretty close to a 1/3 of a year.  That's pretty crazy.

<center>![PXL_20201010_192654494.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/Ep3dQz7SCLW9oiKpoM3EQHiKTj224XgpXiQMNrXZThnSQvnxhAV79AF4WY13exFVdFW.jpg)</center>

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With the leaves starting to fall of the trees here in Michigan I can't help but think of how symbolic it is of my story ideas falling to the ground.  Pretty soon my creative tree is going to be totally bare and the cold wind of winter is going to put my creativity on ice!  It's a scary thought.  Then what?  I'm basically crap posting simply because I feel like I have to?  

I was actually going through some old drawers the other day and I found a couple journals that my wife made for me when we first got married. I used to journal pretty much every night when I was younger, but somehow I have fallen out of the habit.  I think part of the reason is because I write here on HIVE instead.  I've always said, I do it for myself as much as I do it for the people who read my posts.  Is that really the same?  I don't know.

Then I think about motivation and what are the things that might motivate you to write on HIVE.  Even more important, what are you motivated to write about?  There is a huge difference between what you write about and how you gather the energy to actually do the writing.  

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>







Mourning Motivation

<center>![PXL_20250927_230146437.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFPqVcEKmF22kW6VChmCjs9JG4K5LyYKWX7nEsfRbjqRLdCjaCKaMhtk4Zqc6pPP4cR.jpg)</center>

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It's annoying to me, but I find myself thinking about money a lot lately.  I think part of it is the fact that I just realized I have less than a year before I can retire (or not) from a job that I have been doing for close to two decades now.  I guess along with money I have been thinking about time a lot too, but thinking about time I find a little less annoying.  

Over that 25 year period that I have been working in this sector, I have been doing what I can to offset my retirement savings.  My dad was lucky enough to work in a job where he had a guaranteed pension.  That is becoming a less common thing now, which honestly has pluses and minuses if you ask me.  I'll get to that in a second though.  

Besides his pension, my parents have zero other investments. Sure, they get social security, but I always knew growing up, there might come a day when social security was gone.  While it has worked out pretty well for my mom and dad, I don't think the younger generations have the same luxury. The price of housing is much higher, interest rates are crazy, inflation is out of control, and any number of other things are being thrown at us.

As I said, I knew there might come a day when I couldn't count on the system anymore, so I made the decision pretty early on (but not as early as I would have liked) to start investing on my own.  I've always said, I wouldn't be mad if they gave us control of our pension money.  I've been getting a pretty good return on my side investments, so I often wonder if I would have been able to do better with my pension funds than whoever is in charge of it.

That money is just kind of out there.  I don't really pay too much attention to it.  I know it is going to go up and down before I get to the point where I really need to count on it.  I just let it ride.

<center>![PXL_20250927_142535681.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2kyHRUL3ESfRkqMqjQjn9T2DRxaK7LeHuTrdpJ9n3G9BDSDADMNvdKDysfDP1EnSiK.jpg)</center>

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However, like my cracked windshield I got the other day, I know we are just one major catastrophe away from all of that hard work going to crap.  The initial impact is bad enough, but then the cracks start to form and expand and before you know it, the best laid plans are all blown to poo.

@mrsbozz and I have some friends and one of them recently went through some major medical issues.  Unfortunately, due to the state of the healthcare system in the US, and a variety of other factors, they have been decimated by this.  This was a person that my wife used to look up to for their financial prowess.  They had their crap together and were thriving with lots of money in savings, (not very much money in investments), and a life plan that would put them in a good place come retirement age.

Now, however, it looks like they are both going to be working a lot longer than they had planned.  It's heartbreaking to be honest, and you can see the way it has impacted the family.  I think the hardest part is we have seen them "pull back" from us due to their circumstances.  I get it, but it still doesn't make it hurt any less.  It's hard when you know it is nothing you have done, and there is nothing you can do, but you still see that gap widening.

I've started to realize how important it is for @mrsbozz and I to have some kind of emergency savings.  All the investments in the world aren't going to help if you need money right away.  The experts say you need something like six months worth of your monthly bills in savings to have a decent emergency fund.  We all know that won't put a dent in any medical bills you might incur from said emergency, which is also a terrifying thought.

I appreciate that my wife and I are pretty blessed.  I can't help but think of the countless people in the world who don't have the kind of stability that we do.  I also can't help but acknowledge how fragile that stability is.  Like I said, as you get older, you realize that even one major medical emergency can lay to waste all the best laid plans. 

For many people even achieving stability is a pipe dream.  Sustaining it as the title indicates is the stuff of fairytales. I also think about how short term people's mindset is.  Sometimes by choice and sometimes not.  I don't know, it's just been on my mind a lot lately, and I felt like putting it down here on Hive.  I'm guessing I am not the only one who has felt this way and maybe knowing that someone else worries about the same things as you makes them a little less scary...

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>


Sustaining Stability

<center>![PXL_20250501_102702879.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242NaSVu6ocAGBii3Ty52Egd1WhgoSSDQdQUu6YXHZE7UKiMf85evS26C8TknrbkchYsw.jpg)</center>

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In an unexpected turn of events, it appears my post from yesterday is a moot point.  While there is still a lot of work to be done today between the politicians, it sounds like Michigan has a framework for a budget agreement ahead of the October 1st deadline [that I mentioned in this post yesterday](https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@bozz/collateral-damage).

What I failed to realize is that the national government is also facing a shutdown.  I guess that shows just how isolated I am here in the middle of Michigan.  I have a feeling things on the federal side are going to be even more messy than they are here in Michigan.  The good news is, we get to keep our doors open at the school district where I work and that is a good thing.  Both for us and the students.

It's the dawn of a new day, and with October right around the corner, hopefully it's the start of a fantastic quarter for those of us invested in crypto.

<center>![PXL_20240821_111700157.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xAXcToK9TgzxAE82kfTAY6rkVuXt3WaGEeHNEvsaFxyRa1Bv77sUsxG1wuK3MWDdBBA.jpg)</center>

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Just don't look at the prices right now...  While not unexpected, and not very significant in the grand scheme of things (remember to zoom out!), that BTC drop below $110K had been a bit of a mind $@!@$%^#$^ for me.  Trust me, I know better. I know it's just a temporary thing, I know it doesn't really mean anything, but it's still hard not to get just a little emotional about it all.

@tarazkp had a really good post the other day talking about the markets and in one of the comments he said:

> "I'm tired of waiting for "next Year""

I'm telling you, I feel that with every fiber of my being.  It's not like I am counting on crypto to pay my bills, but giving me just a hint of life changing wealth would be pretty awesome.  Am I right?

I'm one of the worst at falling into the trap of not following the cycle closely enough.  The election happened close to a year ago and I thought "this is it, here we go, crypto to the moon".  Then folks were like, "no, not till the start of 2025". Then the start of 2025 got here and I thought "okay, let's effing go", but nope people were saying "not until Q2 buddy".  

You can imagine what happens pretty much the rest of the year and now here we are with folks saying Q4 or maybe not even until Q1 2026.  Plus, we have some saying there will never be another bull market again, things are too institutionalized.  

<center>![PXL_20250816_121537322.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243LzVLp4nxShgEv3dozJp8TicAtAHVPZrE5hxC4FiH77GwtJZHe7QEyLg4sJmvApE7RP.jpg)</center>

-----------------------

The more time I spend involved with crypto, the more I kind of realize that hardly anyone really knows what they are talking about.  Tell me if you have heard this one before:

> ## Meteorology is the only job where you can be wrong half the time and still keep your job.

Kind of sounds familiar doesn't it?  Even after all these decades, advances in technology, countless hours and funds being pumped into the space, it's still just a giant guessing game for meteorologists.  Like I said, I feel crypto is quite similar.  We might get close 70% of the time, but no one really knows where all this is heading.  They can hope for clear skies and sunny days, but they don't really know 100% until we are sitting there.

<center>![IMG_20210604_074902.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23zGa8HP1AdV9SXFXLfYs84yYsFsomJeacSDrGVjUMPKvkvyBtgTS4yKYL54d4n9YGdzw.jpg)</center>

-----------------------

Things have cooled down quite a bit on the nuclear stock side of things.  NuScale (SMR) is sitting below $40 per share, but it is still up from where I bought it and the hope is that it will eventually recover and exceed my expectations.  As far as altcoins go, I am just kind of waiting it out to see what happens.  There isn't much more we can do past that right?  Obviously, if you are on HIVE you can keep posting, commenting, curating, growing your account, but as many have pointed out, HIVE is one big pump away from a lot of people exiting.  

Will the blockchain, or more specifically the price of the token be able to weather that storm... I can't say, but I'm not one to give up and I think a lot of people feel the same way.

I've been looking at picking up some more silver for the holidays.  I typically buy a couple of pieces for my nephew who is also my Godson, and then I usually buy another four or five pieces for myself.  I've been thinking with the price of silver being up $5 to $10 over where it was this time last year, I might need to skip the fancy purchases for myself.  I usually lean towards the cool designs and interesting pieces, but I may have to just save those for my nephew and when it comes to my personal purchase just go with something nondescript or some of the "junk" silver that many of the vendors sell.  

As long as it is "pure" silver and I am just looking at increasing my stack, does it really matter what is on it?  This might be the point where I turn the corner on simply being a collector and I actually become a stacker.  

We will see!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend, and fingers cross BTC edges closer to that $120K mark by the  end of the day today versus the $100K mark.


----------

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Crisis Averted?

<center>![IMG20220618112259.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vsN2TMAnyy8cGqxU1QEe9j3GuXuhKRMdZmSLwMmwxq3Epm2wBA6ZxmVj53M1YkBJrBf.jpg)</center>

--------------------------

Times have definitely changed.  It used to be that some things in life were absolutely certain.  Death and taxes have always been the two most prominent, but there were some other things that you could count on as true as the north star.  

I've mentioned before that I grew up in the town where Dow Chemical and Dow Corning are headquartered back before they merged.  It used to be that if you were able to get a job at Dow or Corning, you were set for life.  Yes, you might get moved out of the state or out of the country, but you could count on  retiring from there with a nice pension and probably some stocks as well.

While others might argue against this, the government used to be something you could always count on as well.  It wasn't necessarily that they looked out for your best interests, I think we all know that isn't the case, but they were at least there.  At the very least they gave the impression they were working together towards the best interests of the public.

That's certainly not the case anymore.  Now it is almost a contest to see how annoyed they can make the other side of the aisle.  There is no compromise, there is no professional courtesy, there is just  enmity and conflict.

<center>![IMG20230305115146.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vhyoZct4pd6oxhwDkgMXB2m6cVajdroLrJCPVREdpNWLB6QAs7ARCceUdmkc6SVoGcA.jpg)</center>

---------------------------

## The state of Michigan has had two shutdowns since it was established in 1837.

The first took place in 2007 on October 1st and lasted for a very brief four hours.  Though relatively short, the impact of this shutdown shook several areas of Michigan infrastructure.  State campgrounds were closed as I alluded to in my post on Monday, road construction crews were halted, lottery sales were stopped, and state police patrols were cut back.

As I said, it only lasted four hours, so by the end of the day things were back to normal.  The second shutdown happened in 2009 and lasted only two hours also on October 1st.  Many state employees were preemptively issues lay off notices, but they ended up being irrelevant given the quick resolution of the shutdown.

As we approach October 1st, we are once again faced with the possibility of a government shutdown.  You might wonder why this date is so significant....  October 1st is the date that the senate and house need to agree on a budget so it can go to the Governor to sign.  

<center>![IMG20220618112251.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFWDFQAv7Y4DsGyahuJEBFrmW2QzsJxu78BZ3bjJ3FhEZqzM5MutYqoqdq8L5qwAwiA.jpg)</center>

--------------------

Given the extreme divisiveness in politics these days, it's safe to assume that this shutdown isn't going to get resolved nearly as quickly as in past years. Working in the public school system, this is a pretty big deal for @mrsbozz and I.  While businesses who sell liquor are concerned given they wouldn't be able to order liquor from the state control commission, schools are more concerned about how they are going to be able to feed and transport their students.

A while ago the state implemented a free lunch and breakfast program for all students.  In the past it used to be that only families who qualified got free or reduced meals.  If the politicians can't agree on a budget, that program will likely be shuttered.  Families who qualify for free and reduced status will still get those benefits, but other families who haven't filled out the paperwork or didn't qualify will have to start paying.

## As a school district we aren't going to not feed a kid, but this brings up some issues since the money has to come from somewhere.

<center>![IMG20220618115306.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tmL4t8wLXJvCNHR21PCoA8Fn8e7PfkoRJEGj5VUzQVKtvL4JnrtJ3rcFSSFEAStR6we.jpg)</center>

---------------------

What a lot of people don't realize is that schools get a state aid payment once or twice a year based on their student count.  It used to be once upon a time each student in our district was worth about $7700.  That money would come from the state and pretty much be our budget for the whole year.  If they don't come to an agreement on a budget, that money will not come.

The republican led house has offered a proposed budget, but it basically guts much of the funds allocated to public schools.  For example, their proposed budget takes 1 billion dollars out of the school aid fund and moves it to higher education.  They do this frequently which honestly makes no sense.  Colleges and Universities can charge and raise their tuition rates, so why do they need money that should be going to public schools (who can't/don't charge).

Unfortunately, this seems to be the modus operandi of a party that feels public schools should be defunded and private or charter schools should be the norm.  Their proposal also eliminates a transportation categorical allocation that is very important for districts like mine where the geographic area is much too large for students to walk to school or parents to drop them off.

While I doubt the end result will be quite that extreme, finding a compromise is likely going to take a lot of back and forth and since politicians aren't down in the trenches, there is likely still going to be a lot of collateral damage to programs and services at the local public school level.  Things that seem irrelevant from the state house actually have a huge impact on the students at a local level.  

Technology is pretty important, so while I am not too worried about my job, I fully expect my budget will be frozen if this carries on too long.  I also expect any kind of raise will be off the table next contract review.

The district I work for is lucky enough that they have a fund balance that can cover the salaries and bills if the shut down last for more than a couple hours, but some districts aren't in the same position.  They face having to shut their doors or not paying their employees if the budget can't be resolved and the state funding gets cut off.

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### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>




Collateral Damage

<center>![uYUdy8PjTqS3VpbHcluxgg.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EoMCnS6PL7JLPt6WfkbY9WPd1xYyTG5oxYbUTEfxh9p24iqUhjCEiWjnxtdo7eMgCCv.jpg)</center>

----------------------

On Saturday this past weekend while @mrsbozz and I were camping at the tip of the "thumb" in Michigan, we decided to head out on Saturday and look for some lunch.  In case you aren't familiar, the state of Michigan is shaped like a mitten.  That is why it is often called "the mitten state".  Don't believe me?  Take a look at a map, you will see what I mean.  The area to the mideast of the state is aptly called "the thumb" because duh, and the town we were camping near is called Port Austin right at the tip of the thumb.

Make sense now?

So we got up on Saturday morning and after taking a quick walk around the campground and then having some breakfast we spent a lazy morning reading and enjoying the slow crawl of the sun up the sky from the horizon.  Around noon we decided to head into town to get some food.  

Our original intent was to go to a place call [The Bank 1884](https://thebankportaustin.com/).  It's located in an old bank building and apparently they have some tables in the vault that you can sit at.  Unfortunately, there was a street fair happening in the town, so the place was packed.  After waiting about fifteen minutes to get a table and realizing they were severely overwhelmed, we decided to leave.  We figured even if we did get a table, there was a good chance the service and food would be sub par due to them being "in the weeds".


<center>![PXL_20250920_164457693.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgN4RBSd4jfySmhV5JrwNtqo6pwW7BE1XMJCPhhWpXfLfuQKMdv915UdBhtnrQqd3LH.jpg)</center>

----------------------

So we decided to walk through the street fair quickly to see if there was anything interesting there or any food trucks we could visit for lunch.  Unfortunately, there were pretty much no food trucks except a single one selling smoothies or something like that.  There was a place that had some craft made bratwurst and I was tempted to stop there.  You can see it on the right hand side of the photo above.  They had about a dozen coolers all with different kinds of bratwurst.  


<center>![PXL_20250920_181335691.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgMquouTWpooZEXDRYKEMYEsTohXjgZwWY7fYRnP4xSWZc6rrup4Nm9yuJTH2EkvvCR.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250920_181338287.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2sdoZfvXUyptTkNwz7xa1JuNmFqhB5N6JK23jjo1cRciZyeNeg5uMQZq4p7QjKbNDT.jpg)</center>

-----------------------------

We did stop by a small Amish stand and I picked up these amazing molasses cookies.  They are probably some of the best molasses cookies I have ever had.  They are soft and rich and so enjoyable.  I think we got about a dozen in the package and I am going to be really sad when they are finally all gone.

There were plenty of other options of places to eat in Port Austin, but given the commotion of the street fair, we figured they would all be pretty busy.  We decided to head out of Port Austin to a small town named Kinde to a place called "The Pasta House".  Can you guess what they specialize in?

On the way out of town we passed The Garfield Inn.  That is the opening photo.  It is an old private residence that was built by Charles G Learned after moving to Michigan from New York.  Apparently he was a successful business man there, but he was interested in the frontier of Michigan and eventually settled in Port Austin.


<center>![PXL_20250920_170308155.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xVMK4D437db4Fy9R19VriGjj5mXuF8d5Y3vZ7koMKveSFsn1H1j6enxSJTi9thpjw6w.jpg)</center>

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Imagine the most desolate town you can think of and then scale back your expectations by about 100x.  That would be Kinde.  We turned off the main road into what is supposed to be the "business district" of Kinde and sadly the photo above is about it.  We were worried for a second that the Pasta House might not even be open, but then I noticed the neon sign in the front window saying they were.

<center>![OWqpxhvdQn6vfEC9oZ1tGw.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/Ep3foD7LCFFdLbNTHdMBp8HmfTp5dDVjc2dDdDFdJa65qACMk2gbUK9ZiTS6L4iTsWB.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250920_171131393.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vsQKVBx41dgefMhHgDfzow7zh2UwB4fFu8rruuripLEHGmwvfSaVM4UTdK99692aR72.jpg)</center>

----------------------

We hesitantly entered to find ourselves in what can only be described as a retro diner feeling establishment.  I was more expecting red and white plaid tablecloths and the whole classic Italian restaurant vibe, but that isn't what we got.

There were two larger parties just getting their lunch in the restaurant as well as an older couple sitting next to each other at a four top table and then @mrsbozz and I.  We felt a bit out of place, but sometimes the off the wall places like this can have some of the best food.


<center>![PXL_20250920_171837200.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wX3KXqozhaizwzyQiGzVvqmqbpiNs1di2pV3tCE5UfkGwNwjeBNsWy7KxswcZwCMnux.jpg)</center>

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They actually have a pretty robust menu consisting of pasta dishes, pizzas, and other American fare like burgers, sandwiches, pork ribs, and all other kinds of stuff.  We decided to start with the deep fried jalapeno ravioli.  They were delicious and after our long trek to find lunch, we were starving.  We finished them in record time!


<center>![PXL_20250920_173508393.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wX3cVHLCjoocbgk3VEocT8pmgSmUGgqoW5V3BNxK6oaha7q4oQGK9eHXRB6wFianjTu.jpg)</center>

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@mrsbozz got the grilled chicken hoagie that was on special that day and some amazing onion rings.  She let me have a bite of her sandwich and it was pretty amazing.  The chicken was marinated well and there was a good mix of cheese and veggies in the sandwich that made every bite the perfect bite.  She ate half the sandwich and took the other half home.


<center>![PXL_20250920_173504905.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tSUKDNXAsxoz3uCLfoZgFNj1nExYxpHU3cRPxfwLkokuSPRH2tJNPmcdd9QybbPnk1o.jpg)</center>

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Since it was called the Pasta House, I decided I had to at least try the pasta (the ravioli doesn't count).  I got the fettucini with alfredo pesto sauce and I had them add some grilled chicken to the dish.  It was very good, but as you can see from the photo above, there was entirely way too much sauce.  I don't know if it was because I got a half order and they measured the sauce for a full order or what, but it was basically swimming.

I ate maybe half the dish and then I strategically put the rest in a left over container trying to separate the noodles and chicken from the over abundance of sauce.  

At close to $75 after tip, I am not sure the food justified the price, but it wasn't the worst meal I have ever had.  If I found myself in the area again, I would likely stop at The Pasta House (there really isn't anywhere else to stop!), but I would probably get something different.  

My sister and her husband are traveling to this area next month and I told them to check out the Pasta House if they wanted a decent Italian meal.  

<center>![PXL_20250919_232628370.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242NexfDdoBC7WfzX4t9J8f4aCLYX4zHF27xkxHL7aQq5XVyoM6CgBvscrX9zuTcKbb3m.jpg)</center>

----------------------

With our bellies more than full, we headed back to our campsite for an afternoon of relaxing and reading as well as another amazing sunset!

----------

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### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>







Looking for Lunch

<center>![PXL_20250510_001235199.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wC9ZH7Y6bCYjKk3nMCgVSjw12Cx1LSvjDU3ynxmKPy2SurFobh2XPEgqqfT3xbDswFH.jpg)</center>

------------------------

It's been just about a month that my niece started her first year of college.  Five hours away from the house she spent the majority of her life in and just over 300 miles from her family.  As expected, the transition has been a bit rough for her.  I think even independent young folks who are ready to fly away still feel a bit of trepidation when they are first out on their own.

I told her shortly before she left, I wish I could give her some advice, but @mrsbozz and I both went to community universities where the majority of attendees commute from home.  In fact, I lived with my parents until I was about 24 years old, so navigating the world of college life at her age is an absolute mystery to me.

When my wife let me know that she was getting a care package together to send to our niece, I decided I was going to do something totally crazy and write her a letter.  Not a typed up letter, not a short note wishing her well, no, an actual two page front and back hand written letter.  In pen no less, with spelling errors, crossed out incomplete thoughts, and everything that goes along with it.  

I can't tell you the last time I wrote that much.  I used to write quite a lot of letters in my younger days.  I had young ladies in countless cities across the state that I would correspond with.  After close to 17 years of marriage, it is safe to say I am out of practice.  As I sat at the table throwing down my thoughts, my hand started to cramp up.  My good HIVE friend @dbooster would probably point out that I should have been using a fountain pen.  They require less pressure, therefore the fatigue isn't as great.  At least I think that is what he would say.

Despite that, I threw down all the wisdom I could muster in a two page missive that should get shipped out later today.  She is a pretty cool young lady, so I think she will appreciate it.  I hope it makes her laugh a little, think a little, and yes selfishly, I hope it makes her cry a little to realize how important she and all my other nieces and nephews are to me.

<center>![PXL_20240920_020417987.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wzdA1sKXVB1Xn88NwLRZpTBoWf9MdVLK78dGydijVEzcLiqse7rw95TKPGfqzz6jqD1.jpg)</center>

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In recent years this niece and I have really bonded over music.  The problem is, she uses Apple iTunes music and I use Spotify.  That doesn't make it very easy for us to be able to share playlists with each other.  I always like to know what new stuff she is listening to, and it's a joy to introduce her to old bands that she has never heard before.

With that in mind, one side of one of the pieces of paper in her letter was a playlist.  Yes, it will take her a little bit of time to find each song and add it to her queue, but even if she doesn't like them all, I hope she finds some gems in there.  I picked some of the songs that mean the most to me either because of the lyrics, or the time in my life when they came across my speakers.

With that in mind, I'm going to share three of them with you for this #threetunetuesday post sponsored by @ablaze.

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4faf_gG0eUE?si=1vIpKt10aaOwBhcR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

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[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4faf_gG0eUE&list=RD4faf_gG0eUE&start_radio=1)

-------------------------

As I have said about a million times before, Counting Crows is one of my favorite bands of all time.  Despite it being massively overplayed back in the day, "Mr. Jones" is still a banger for me.  I have always been drawn to lead singer Adam Duritz's distinctive voice and the way he can write a lyric.  His words tell stories that rip at your emotions and just kind of get into your skin a bit.  I'm sure others might disagree with me on this, but they probably have their own favorite artist that they feel the same way about.  My top three for doing this would be Counting Crows, U2, and probably Taylor Swift.  With Bon Jovi being a close fourth.

"With Love from A to Z" is Counting Crows latest single and after spending some time with some more experimental stuff, this song feels a lot more like their older sound.  I really love it especially for the chorus and this line in particular:

> "I may leave you a lot, but I won't leave you alone".

That's the main reason I included this song for her in the playlist.  I hope she knows that though I don't see her all the time (and probably even less now) I am still proud of her and thinking of her.

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1485caa33F4?si=3GCOM6BtNwQaMI_Y" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

-----------------------

[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1485caa33F4&list=RD1485caa33F4&start_radio=1)

-----------------------

I'm pretty sure I have probably shared this song before on Three Tune Tuesday, but as I said before, U2 is one of the bands that have a very special place in my heart.  I wanted to avoid some of the more common songs that she may have heard before on the radio. so I settled on "Running to Stand Still".  

My niece is a sucker for all of that angsty modern music, so I thought she really might appreciate some older stuff with the same vibe.  This song is actually about a couple addicted to heroine, but it has that mood and vibe that I really think she will enjoy.  I hope she does anyway. Despite the success of With or Without You, and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, I think it's one of the best songs on the Joshua Tree album.


<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cSOaqS2HL-s?si=FI78QhVp75rmparX" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

------------------------

[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSOaqS2HL-s&list=RDcSOaqS2HL-s&start_radio=1)

-----------------------

I'm also pretty sure I have shared this song with you before as well, but after two or three years of doing this, that isn't too surprising.  It just recently that my niece and I both confessed our love of artists that have really distinct voices.  She had just taken a deep dive into Bob Dylan, and I also introduced her to Van Morrison, but I can't think of a more distinctive voice than Willie Nelson.

It was only natural that "Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground" should find its way onto the playlist for her.  It's classic Willie and I honestly think that speaks for itself.

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### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>








With Love, From A to Z

[//]:# (!worldmappin 43.99813 lat -83.06984 long  d3scr)

<center>![PXL_20250919_232447241.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243WTUomRHJbnA2rMZvg51UFcmSmmywjTnLNgU4DWkMdyWo6Hnk3m5PMeoRcYfdLNZQN6.jpg)</center>

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This past weekend @mrsbozz and I took what could be our last camping trip of 2025.  We actually have one more planned, but with a potential state government shut down due to having no budget possible, we might end up not being able to go on the last one.  I've heard stories about last time they had a shut down like this they actually went to each campsite and told people they had to pack up and leave.  

I just hope whatever happens we get enough warning.  I'm actually a bit more concerned about how the lack of a budget will impact the public schools versus my camping schedule, but that's a topic for another post.


<center>![PXL_20250919_222315524.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wMWJM4xVswfLgpmUNKfFwPYD2fHQzHwnGqDu6K7zbvScaTLnYjQKav7WarsjvHdnCzs.jpg)</center>

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It's been quite a while since we have visited [Port Crescent State Park](https://www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/portcrescent) just south of Port Austin, Michigan.  The last time we camped here we had a similar site, but they hadn't built up the barrier between the beach and the sites, so the wind was pretty intense.  I remember just to have a fire we had to sit out in our winter coats.  

Thankfully, that wasn't the case this weekend.


<center>![PXL_20250919_222826552.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2jBdRXr8uBu3HhCJG1NXmFx1KnyM16YCzuzbB2DyUNpHDXFjGVMiZf2bY2Dd3cgZUF.jpg)</center>

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Port Crescent State Park is actually home to a wide array of camping options.  Probably more than I have seen at any other park so far in the state.  Where most parks only have a couple of cabins for people who don't have a tent or camper, this park has at least ten or more different options.  On top of that, they also have some hammock only sites for people who really want to rough it!


<center>![PXL_20250919_232406167.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tH7SV9nQPcZXH8JXfJnYisPGbtFmTSXQ99vBPUuZnhkn34tTzs8rWvPQ11tRnYYzt3U.jpg)</center>

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Friday night we just spent some time relaxing around the campfire and then we walked down to one of the paths to the beach.  It was a cool but beautiful evening and while we were both in jeans and a hoodie, I didn't feel it was that cold.  I took the photo above of some shells that someone had gathered and deposited in the sand.


<center>![PXL_20250919_232458231.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/244ofTfztrKXZmuLW1k97sZuWPE3TrJ6djxVfUqmPZ2kmStMQFH8eTu4rJDdVWoBGgGfr.jpg)</center>

-------------------------

We were able to catch the sun just before it ducked behind the clouds and left us for the evening.  We didn't get a chance to visit it, but this park also has a dark sky park that would have been cool to check out.  We were actually a bit surprised at how full the park was.  For the end of September pretty much every site was filled. 


<center>![PXL_20250919_232657289.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xp4iLoaj1XwXE89fih1dKf3gbX3Ha6799AqSMKGKxZm1BG7j5iBqwhTRb4e2mF9m5zS.jpg)</center>

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Parks like this are usually pretty hard to get into over the summer months.  Given the proximity to the water and all the area has to offer, it fills up quite quickly.  In the fall you generally have a better chance of finding a site, but as I said, even this late into September I consider ourselves lucky to have gotten the site we did.  

It might not seem like a big exciting trek, but the little trips like this even after the summer has unofficially ended are the things that help to keep us sane when the beginning of the school year hits.  


<center>![PXL_20250920_181521399.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wzxHELxydBpCZvLZ6ksmvpVr8bMKkDXavLfsvKeC8ZFmaLXC4EUbNKysngjUMhBDapU.jpg)</center>

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After a bit of an excursion on Saturday that I will cover in a different post, I spent most of the afternoon just sitting at our campsite reading an actual book and listening to all the sounds from around the campfire.  The waves were crashing on the beach just across the road and it was almost enough to make me slip off into a nice long nap.


<center>![PXL_20250920_214604341.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xARAVMHLEDRCPmGKY9WFrtSpd9KN7H7tYFwZkEF4bx1uXfouNMxTfri8A7C3f1ktL7s.jpg)</center>

------------------------

As Saturday was coming to a close, I caught this shot of some geese flying South which is usually a pretty good indication that Fall is right around the corner.  


<center>![PXL_20250920_204834561.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23yJQhJh2KzcEXmYiAn7W4pZyPRMzdAX9ttKfMYm3rv2A8pTcCuWfqdeQH28Vp4EmY1dK.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250920_204838714.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2kq45My4BpeP3uRmh5tRPA8ZaJd7Jond3GXa7abRN1kNew9PV2CKQ2JdXJU5Y5ZQA1.jpg)</center>

---------------------

I picked up these peanuts at an online vendor before we headed off on our trip and I highly recommend them!  You should check out the [Pear Snacks](https://pearssnacks.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoq0CYdrDXeWkCpewaFPnOdmcl9y_AFKuRTo0JCSs7YV37gyLHgl) site sometime and give these a try.  They aren't really that hot at all, but they have a nice combination of flavors.  Sam's Club carried nuts like this for a very short time, but now three years later I still haven't seen them again in the store. 

The price for these is a little higher than what we paid at Sam's Club, but the flavor is spot on.  I'll definitely be buying more of these in the future.


<center>![PXL_20250920_230552268.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xyZaCzTqfAE6RWacamUos3ghDQZrTrmXJcn5bWm5365UEoTgLVXTCo1t4XGVU3W8XEX.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250920_230557479.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xAbyXCkshpgf8SwScVHAbUbsRcjYukwf2eX3dNSbhimmhvPvnSt4QJnHg63p3VRQkk4.jpg)</center>

---------------------------

Saturday night for dinner we roasted some hotdogs over the fire and then I used some of my homemade chili to turn them into chili dogs.  The consistency of my chili wasn't really right for this sort of meal, but they still turned out pretty good.  We ate them outside around the campfire as we watched college football on @mrsbozz's Chromebook.


<center>![PXL_20250921_014536926.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23u5tRfLHJxpsAzRydXXpmuWo1btPzkHZCyGTqpQpzQeLTowqHwsG122azG8bJC1epP6M.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250921_014529090.NIGHT.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23u5ZPKjL1fzqiAHcaS8xA3oy7V6Cqcw5arWLFJmZgFyQf1eucqoNcUgQDdqfPx5QQZxc.jpg)</center>

----------------------

As I said, weekends like this help to melt away all the stress and aggravations of the previous week.  It might not seem like much, but even something as simple as a fire is a minor indulgence that kind of makes everything else worth while.  


<center>![PXL_20250921_013620896.NIGHT.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23t7BGHo8AfffXV6CYar1MUnK5oAi2XftxoVxr5ZbDcEzmsoMY9Ye742LumCFogkG6GTE.jpg)</center>

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Both evenings I was able to catch Cassiopeia peaking through the trees once the sun had gone down.  It's one of the few constellations that I can actually pick out along with the Big Dipper and Orion.  I always get a sense of peace when I see those constellations.  Probably because they are familiar and timeless.  They have been there long before me and they will continue on long after I have gone.  Well, except for Betelgeuse...

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### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>









Minor Indulgences

<center>![PXL_20250517_000314320.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vhqatYbTDEhF4DdDCnTLmQu87dqoqu3iqhdVqDLMTwJcfBhXctskSJwLrP5F5WwkXk3.jpg)</center>

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It seems like it has been forever, but just four or so days ago I opened up my posts for this week talking about how I had a lot on my mind.  I'd like to say that things have sorted themselves out, but heading into a new weekend, I feel like I have even more on my mind than I did on Monday.  

The good news is, I am going camping this weekend, so that should offer a nice break from all of the stress that life has to offer.  I just have to get through the gauntlet of today to get there.  

I had an old colleague come visit me at work the other day and we got talking about how close I am to retiring.   He recently hung up his hat as well, but he plans on doing something else to keep himself active.  He had some good advice for me about my options when I am able to retire in another year.  

If anything, it gave me a lot more to think about than I already had!

The good thing is, I don't have to leave once I hit that magical 30 year mark.  As long as they aren't shoving me out the door I can take my time to find something else that I think will be a good fit for me.  

Meanwhile, the crypto markets seem to be doing pretty much what everyone expected they would do.  At least halfway through September and we haven't see a ton of movement.  It's just been more of a sideways blah.  I was hoping maybe this year would buck the trend of September being less than stellar and we might get a big altcoin pump.  

I'm starting to lose hope for that now.  

<center>![IMG_20180922_183416.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EoAZoSXCGzjvk8sPYxNimB2VLB46bQh1SFSb9c44TzBBr7j9jFB5mtDE7DACsjXxESm.jpg)</center>

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The good news is, October is right around the corner, and while September hasn't been that exciting, hopefully the season of Halloween will bring us some exceptional thrills!  Either way, I think this coming year is a going to a time of great reflection and some major decisions for me.  @mrsbozz of course too as we are a team in all of this.  I want to be sure she is on board with whatever decision I make and fully supportive of me.  

I apologize, I keep jumping back and forth between topics, but like I said, I have a lot on my mind right now.  I'm barreling towards two of the watershed moments in adult life and I'm honestly in a bit of a daze about how we got here so quickly.  While many would think retiring at 50 is something to be celebrated, I feel a lot of trepidation and uncertainty with all of this.

## SMR

On the good side of things, I saw an article by "The Motley Fool" the other day saying that the new interest rate cut could be a huge boon for the nuclear power sector.  They specifically named my favorite small modular nuclear reactor stock NuScale.  I think the source in this case gets a lot of mixed reviews from a lot of people. At least it isn't that Cramer guy saying it right?  

The price of NuScale right now is still bouncing near that $40 mark which is down a bit from the all time high of near $50, but the fact that we are still holding strong above $30 is encouraging to me.  I didn't go about it purposely, but I think a few of the people who heard me talking about this stock and bought some themselves are still pretty happy right now.

## Silver

<center>![PXL_20250917_200915480.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23z7G45cau4nPC7GqMjtQViLN3CjEdi9QaT7dDKni9VcrGLcyAcB2smZauq9GUcADsKVL.jpg)</center>

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You might recognize this as it has been shared one other place that I know of.  I got home from work the other day to find a nice surprise in my mailbox.  I had admired this nice piece of silver commemorating the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and I had commented on how cool I thought it was.

<center>![PXL_20250917_200959212.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/2423sr2cPyyhhRbTcj6DmEZa9sWgTYYkyNCZh46CnavxLnq6posoJzjGrqRpdWjcX3Ers.jpg)</center>

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The original poster took notice and generously sent me one of the 1 oz rounds.  How cool is that!  I'm really glad I stumbled upon the #silvergoldstackers community all that time ago and that they graciously welcomed me into their fold.  I might not have the bags that others do in the group, but I am slowly growing my stack.  Given the price of silver now, I have already seen a decent increase in my investment from the sub $30 prices per ounce I was paying before.

## Alt Coins

Again, not much to talk about here.  I've still got a handful of tokens that I am hoping at least one of them breaks out this cycle and does something amazing.  I've all but given up on some of the other tokens I was praying for a miracle on.  

Looking back at my soft targets that I edited back just about a year ago, it's safe to say that TLM, WAX, WNCG, SPS, SDM and POL are likely never going to moon the way I had hoped.  Hive is still plugging along and while I don't see it dying, I think it is going to take a lot for it to do anything significant.  

Hype for Splinterlands seems to be fading, and the Koreans seem to have found other tokens that they would rather focus on (manipulate).  I still plan on posting and building my stake here. I also plan on growing my @bozz.sports account as well.  I've gotten some more interaction over there lately which is nice, but it still isn't picking up momentum the way I had hoped.

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>







Adulting is Hard

<center>![PXL_20250914_122236527.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242s1g3ipT2VATkzE725YCeseu9UAr9S3RCBV7RXUFNGgsYaPjK9wjF4RkBnZHnsbwgWL.jpg)</center>

---------------------------

I want to start this post out by telling a little story.  If you are heading north on interstate 75 in Michigan, just a little past mile marker 179 you will see a barn on the right hand side of the road.  Up until about a week ago, that barn used to boast in large green letters "Pinni Mini Farms" or something similar to that.  

Now, the barn is simply white or green (I'm really not sure), due to the business receiving a letter from the township telling them that their sign was in violation of a township ordinance.  As you might imagine, social media has blown up with people outraged that the township would make them paint over the sign.  

Township board members who likely weren't even around when the ordinance was established are getting personally attacked on Facebook and other similar forums.  As they say, "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one".  Outrage aside (warranted or not), all of this could have been easily avoided if the business had just filed the for the permit and kept their sign within the regulations.  

Instead of this being a whole local scandal, it could have been a "my bad" moment where everyone moves on.


<center>![PXL_20250914_122227684.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23ywnoawcE5SfdHd2hSk1LzqaEDFfctSsB7BvoieMbjiGHAENByeyxq2W2Dyce3ZtJLNW.jpg)</center>

----------------------

Trust me, I know there are a lot of really stupid laws out there.  The fact that in New Orleans it is against the law to gargle in public is proof of that.  However, what this really brings to light for me is the fact that people seem to prefer anarchy over order.  At the very least they are leaning more towards hedonism these days than anything else.

Let me share another story with you...

I already mentioned that this past weekend my wife and I got up on Saturday morning and went to play a round of disc golf at a local course.  We got home around 10 AM and I decided to mow the lawn.  A visitor showed up to our neighbors house and pulled a cooler out of his car.  As I was making a pass with the mower he offered me a beer.  "Thanks, but I'm good right now (It's not even noon yet!).  

The drinking in general doesn't bug me, but you know how people can get when they start drinking (been there done that).  More and more people started showing up because "football", and before we knew it there was a full blown party next door from 10 AM to about 2 AM the next morning.  

It wasn't a really big deal, but it did make it a bit hard to sit out on our deck with all the comotion happening next door.  To be fair, the majority of the commotion was just our neighbor.   He's loud.  Everything he does is loud. It's like he shouts everything he says.  On top of that he drops the F bomb every other word.  Now, I'm personally a big fan of the F word, but I guess even I have my limits.


<center>![PXL_20250914_122220977.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgQHeJSCHQV1kMdhzhBknEvgK5gLu1Njmd7GduFVrA9wDQBKNGrQe5tXGjkiZMYqVHq.jpg)</center>

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So football gets over with for Saturday, everyone heads to bed, no big deal.  Then come Sunday morning, bright and early at 10 AM, things start back up.  @mrsbozz had really been looking forward to sitting out on the deck some more on Sunday, but alas, it just wasn't possible.  I can't really blame them, the weather was beautiful, and they weren't necessarily doing anything against the law, but I personally still believe there is such a thing as common courtesy.

Here's my point.  I've seen instances like this countless times where people decided to share their frustration on Facebook.  People usually fall into about three camps.  One group will share the original posters frustration and tell them to call the cops.  The problem is, if the neighbor finds out it was you, you are in for years of even more frustration.

The second group will tell the original poster to go talk to the neighbor, which on the surface seems like the most mature choice.  The problem is we all know how entitled people feel these days.  As I said, hedonism and anarchy seems to be the norm.  It's more likely the neighbors will escalate their revelry to even higher levels.

Finally, there is the third group who call people Karens, boomers, or prudes and tell them to get a life, crack a beer, and join the party.


<center>![PXL_20250913_225314123.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tm9dV7uTZm7p5KJKCGmr3jL5NvvrrkoxjjmQVabqTY9hipJjK6NKsqsSW9DasWsKx2n.jpg)</center>

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Trust me, twenty years ago, I might have been in a spot where I went over and joined in (no, I was antisocial back then too), but in what world is it too much to ask for a nice relaxing evening on my deck.  Perhaps the problem is me and I should just go live off the grid somewhere, but I can't help but think this is indicative of a overall shift away from reason, courtesy, and general decency.

As I said, my initial thought was that people simply prefer anarchy over order, but as I think about it more, it seems the reasons are much more selfish.  Has the majority of the world regressed to the mindset of a toddler where they think they should be able to do whatever they want whenever they want because it makes them happy?

For me, it seems to always come back to respect.  Do you respect the rules, do you respect your neighbors right to a quiet evening on the deck, fill in the blank.  The current state of the world would seem to indicate that respect is a fading concept, not even something you can earn, just an artifact of a more refined society...

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>








Anarchy, Hedonism, and Respect

<center>![PXL_20240416_115105759.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgHTtiHu14vLZ4gTCUWQAD6JhatXKKJPiEpjd2cBsDg4PeWQxzwrv1kM84RYNKeeNBP.jpg)</center>

---------------------------

I was reading through a post that @tarazkp made yesterday and it got me thinking about a Netflix movie that my wife and I had just watched.  This is going to be a difficult post to write, because I don't want to give away any of the details and spoil it for you.  I will do my best.  If you live in the US, there is a good chance you may have heard about this.  It's actually a true story and it made national news.

*Spoilers may be in the comments, you have been warned!*

The main reason we decided to watch this documentary was because the events took place in a town that is little more than an hour away from where we live.  In fact, a couple of weekends ago our niece played with her volleyball team against the young ladies from Beal City, MI.  

Being a school social worker, my wife was also interested in this movie given it deals with cyberbullying and harassment in a school setting. As a technology director, I was skeptical going into the movie, but it was only about 90 minutes long, so I figured I could be spending my evening doing more stupid things.  

It actually ended up being a pretty good show and while the production quality wasn't the best and there were some things I found a bit cringy about it, it was fascinating and led to a good deal of conversation over the next couple of days.

<center>![IMG20220811062123.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vi1fCqeydn8e2UDthhNrCjtrXNZSpmTbJLB4e4K548hNpcn8KTDzg3ytAK8hEFWGEiX.jpg)</center>

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The actual title of the show is Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.  I just changed the title a bit for this post so you could know where you could find it.  Before I get too far, let me say this, you will be livid after watching this.  If you aren't, then you might want to check to see if something is wrong with you.  It goes beyond despicable and makes you wonder how anyone could be so horrible.  

The basic premise is this, a young lady and her boyfriend were dating in school (middle school, early high school), when they started getting text messages from some unknown number that were pretty filthy, mean, and harassing.  This goes on for years with the police, the school, the friends, and the families having no clue what is going on or where these messages are coming from.

Years.

That's crazy.  It's honestly a miracle that one of the kids didn't harm themselves after the relentless abuse.  I've heard of kids doing far worse to themselves over far less.  As I said before, the production quality isn't up to Hollywood standards, but it is decent.  I think the thing that annoyed me the most, besides the big reveal at the end was how they used like a computerized voice to read the texts from the unknown number.  It sounded stupid and I know they intended for it to seem menacing, but it just sounded lame.

I found it interesting how willing everyone was to participate in the interviews.  Even and especially the school staff.  Most superintendents I know and have worked for wouldn't want to participate in something like this even if they were getting paid.  With public opinion being so polarizing these days, one word spoken wrong or heard wrong could be career suicide.  

I think they handled it well and while some people might argue the school should have done more, I'd follow up by asking them what. As you will see from the show, it took the FBI getting involved to figure out what was going on.  Schools simply don't have the resources to do the kind of forensic investigation necessary.  

I think this is an example of the CSI effect, where juries think there should be all this obvious evidence in cases these days.  The same is true here.  People expect the tech department to just be able to pull phone dumps and look at logs and solve the mystery.  Sorry, but it's not always that easy.

<center>![DSC01098.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vi3jA5awHNpi2uEtB6FqDpMv9nL6TwrCFPt5sccfSb9YvuJt721enydRgLjTxxGcGVy.JPG)</center>

------------------------

I can't even imagine my nieces when they were that age getting the kinds of messages that these young kids were getting.  It bugs me just thinking about it honestly.  As I said in the beginning of this post, the comments may contain spoilers.  I don't plan on specifically posting anything in there, but I want to encourage you to talk about it if you have seen the show.  

It's not that this was groundbreaking, but it's definitely one of those things you stand around the watercooler and talk about.  Simply because it's so hard to wrap your head around the big reveal at the end.  

On a totally separate subject, keep a keen eye out for a scene near the end of the show.  They are in a house and in the background you can see a table and the table is covered with something.  I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I'd be interested in hearing if you noticed the same thing I did.  

Also, if you don't feel like watching the show, just go ahead and Google Beal City, MI catfish, but trust me, it doesn't hit quite as hard unless you see or hear some of the messages that these kids were getting.


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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>



 


Unknown Number: A Netflix Documentary

<center>![20240629_072109.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EokakuZXqhuMdumpW2Ak18JtLb7pNg8SYfoR7Lh8itZyGu2zzU9eutpK1LFXaK5hbG4.jpg)</center>

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With quarter 4 looming large on the horizon, it is becoming pretty apparent to me that the majority of my traveling days for 2025 are finished.  Yes, I do have two more camping trips planned, and I have a conference at the end of October I will be heading "up north" for, but any big trips are off the table.  That realization has me thinking about the time over a year ago when @mrsbozz and I drove out to Colorado for the Fourth of July holiday.  

Actually, there is a lot of stuff that gets me thinking about that trip.  It was an amazing time and even though it took us a lot longer than flying, I am glad we rented a car and decided to drive the 1300 miles one way.  It gave us a chance to see some new towns and countryside that we have never seen before.  It also gave us a lot of bonding time and funny stories to share over and over again.

Road trips are good for that aren't they?  Whether it's some crazy driver you run into, or the world's largest "whatever" on the side of the road, there is always something new and exciting to see.  


<center>![20240628_171731.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EpXJ4vWjw6AeZrgMzTpvNP22aPE82TkjpjLjJYfMC8RuwxbZy9uZPX41XXiUvEgPfr6.jpg)</center>

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Especially in the US, a good old fashioned road trip really gives you an idea of just how big the country is.  It also gives you an idea of all the infrastructure that is in place to keep the country moving forward.  From our horrendously slow railways, to truckers running three wide down the expressway.  Then you have all the small towns that dot the road along the way.  

I was looking at some of my Google Keep notes the other day that contain future story ideas and I came across a comment I made to myself about small towns and how many times the largest building in a small town across the United States is a grain elevator.  


<center>![20240707_143514.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EpT3j5KorNajA9Mu3o5aSSJV3Zo6KnuB8uwpCmstzozV8ooXBf2P35oPmRDjP3qMMoM.jpg)</center>

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Either that or a windmill. That's definitely the case in the area of the country where I live. With that in mind, I decided for this #threetunetuesday sponsored by @ablaze I am going to share songs with the name of a city in their title.  That's the theme, simple yet effective.  I have three great tunes all planned out though there are countless songs I could pick.  I hope you enjoy all of them!

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K2_72UswPaA?si=mVYRlMC1VusfZ7Om" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

---------------------

[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2_72UswPaA&list=RDK2_72UswPaA&start_radio=1)

--------------------

"Omaha" is one of my favorite songs off the Counting Crows debut album August and Everything After.  The title of the album actually comes from the lyrics of a song they were working on before they became the cohesive group that we know as Counting Crows.  I think they later released it on one of their anthology albums or some live album.  I have them all, I just don't remember right now.

[According to wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha%2C_Nebraska), Omaha is the most populous city in the state of Nebraska.  It sits right on the banks of the Missouri river and boasts a population of about 500,000 people I would guess by now.  

It was founded in 1854 and was host to the World's Fair in 1898 which introduced a lot of people to the great wild west.  Apparently World's Fairs still take place, but I can only imagine what it would have been like to visit one of them back in the day.  

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wtVeDaZxAXo?si=i4Pr5Aoc4Jm-KMN-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

-----------------------------

[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtVeDaZxAXo&list=RDwtVeDaZxAXo&start_radio=1)

------------------------------

The closest I have ever been to Texas is Oklahoma.  I will be the first to admit that. I don't want you to think I am trying to fool you by talking about all the places I have been.  In fact, if you want to be technical, I've never actually been to any of the places I am going to share with you today.  I have been through Omaha, but if I remember correctly, it was raining as we cruised down I-80 on our way to Denver.

"Amarillo By Morning" is a great classic song by the king of country George Strait.  It's pretty simple and isn't that complex, but it is a great tune and really gives you that old country feel. As you listen to it, it is pretty easy to imagine yourself as a rodeo rider traveling to the next town to do what they love the most.  

Amarillo Texas was established in 1997 and is the 17th most populous city in the state of Texas and the most populous city in what is called the "panhandle" of Texas. Again, [according to Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarillo,_Texas), it was originally called Oneida, and it is home to Pantex which is the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the US.

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hco9bCh7Nes?si=35-L57ANe5ErC0RN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

----------------------------

[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hco9bCh7Nes&list=RDhco9bCh7Nes&start_radio=1)

---------------------------

"Tupelo Honey" is one of my favorite songs by Van Morrison.  I just recently had the chance to introduce my niece to the magnificence that is Van Morrison and this is one of the handful of songs that I made sure she listened to.  I've actually never seen this video of this performance, so this is a special treat for me as much as it is one for you.  He would definitely be on my bucket list to see live enough though I know he probably doesn't sound as good now as he did back then.

Tupelo Mississippi was founded in 1870 in an area that had earlier been settled as "Gum Pond".  [Also according to Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo,_Mississippi), Tupelo was the first city to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority.  You might recognize that name as they recently entered a deal with my favorite nuclear power company NuScale for manufacture of some small modular nuclear reactors. 

In 1936 most of the city was devastated by a tornado and to date it remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history. 

It actually has a quite rich history and though I have never been to Mississippi that I can remember, I think Tupelo is one of the spots I would like to visit if I ever find myself down that way.  

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### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>









Somewhere in Middle America

<center>![PXL_20250913_000855172.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tm7BLjiswnfyVfZct14rnR8WaNok4YsrEskoEYppTsVznAc7xyMphpJp1KAr5QfRAXc.jpg)</center>

----------------------

I have to admit, it was a pretty good weekend.  I got to spend some time on my deck, I got some work done, all of my sports teams won, I did some reading, I ate some good food, and the weather was practically perfect.  In fact, I spent more time out on my deck than I have probably all summer and it was glorious.  It gave me a lot of time to think about a lot of things.  

Several of those things will probably take the shape of some future posts.  I also thought about some things from [my post last Friday](https://peakd.com/hive-193212/@bozz/290353-years) and all of the great responses I got from it.  I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge here on HIVE from people in all walks of life.  

<center>![PXL_20250913_002805322.NIGHT.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFMU43DQr78U6j3XbdA2hg9xiwWSccPwXEZrjiXgoWfwwdXdbgL61aDig8AzNCfZs2Z.jpg)</center>

----------------------

Despite what you might think, it wasn't a perfect weekend, but as I said, I'll get into that a bit more in a future post.  Looking back, it was actually a quite full weekend, but somewhere in there I was able to just take a lot of time to just reflect.  Although I may not deliver any great epiphanies in this post, I almost put it in the [reflections](https://peakd.com/c/hive-126152/created) community.

@mrsbozz and I spent a wonderful evening on the deck Friday night drinking some good whiskey (Tin Cup 10 Year, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 year, and Deer Hammer), enjoying the fire, and listening to some good music (Bon Jovi of course!).  

*@mrsbozz doesn't drink whiskey, she had spiced rum and diet coke.*


<center>![PXL_20250913_123219077.NIGHT.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vsNjvviin9T6rEvaMxnCcjb3ymEcYamBBPfkrujHiRnrab1NuiP4bYUdjDLKsgFy3Qu.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250913_124325867.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tmDLyfoYa4WMTyg4zZz92nhDw1B2LQBqqju1v2gkpRGyy1u2jeAmBrf2zkqMwdsLkTo.jpg)</center>

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We got up on Saturday morning and after trying and failing once again to make the perfect omelette, we headed out for a little exercise. The flavors were great with the omelette, but it just kind of fell apart on me again.  Like I said before, it's the flip that gets you.

We headed to a local disc golf course and while I hit some trees, my wife walked with me carrying my disc bag and listening to her audiobook.  Despite all the trees, I shot a 10 over which is my second best score on that course all summer.  I was able avoid anything over a double bogey and I even got a couple birdies.  


<center>![PXL_20250913_191847816.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wqko6s8oJknAgryM1qchriuAXfrtsowW2oP1RsLHoyGxAYy13twYAgY8aRGwHb6qppK.jpg)</center>

----------------------

I came home, mowed the lawn, pulled some weeds, and then spent some time on the couch reading my book while football played in the background.  When it was time for the Michigan State game I moved the TV out to the deck and then we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening out there.


<center>![PXL_20250913_202722604.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23z7BhQps5nwo2y9EaLXBvotroCqJbLGwfhEBsaDJjCXRfUfajx7pxq4hE2o6Dxz66jgk.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250913_202745332.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xehbeELmgzsRTP1tTgXWrev2pmETqbSqkfv1fBaz27tyyQVn2pgwRR7YhmwuWs27tb4.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250913_202803524.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vhyvsLxaT6QYg6XhxdFa9b69AWxoizjytEhL2MN8fHAVyFs98f46EQErEqp15qrMaVz.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250913_202811893.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wqkHfuaTqJZYH2hr2TMaNJSAo2AXsNc2MzWdVcYopTCJphQhJ5nhjfZxYei2V5ospgP.jpg)</center>

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If you have a [Trader Joe's](https://www.traderjoes.com/home) near you, I highly encourage you to try out this Oktoberfest that they have special.  It's probably one of the best Oktoberfests I have had in quite some time.  At least since last year...  My wife also enjoyed this Allagash White that hails from a little closer than Germany.  I'll be including this as a #beersaturday post sponsored by @detlev.  In fact, the Oktoberfest was so good, I had my inlaws pick up another 4 pack for me while they were down near a Trader Joe's.  


<center>![PXL_20250913_213200860.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23uFRQ49qd2cUGa3BFUTmiS6UQZ5HgX4XfPNhNVHkhDt8oK6mNSixaX5gWaWmRi14AjZr.jpg)</center>

----------------------

Later Saturday afternoon I threw a few turkey breasts on the grill for both our dinner and to fulfill a couple orders I had gotten from my mother and father in law and my brother in law.  My smoked turkey breast have become a special treat for them that they request every now and then.


<center>![PXL_20250913_234416797.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tbs3yAjZridy9My84YAEpRscgRRe8ZAF7JC82WvvT7TkTfnYav7XmV3qSoKWPBfxJ86.jpg)</center>

-----------------------

After that, it was more thinking, more College football, and more drinking (Captain Morgan and Coke, despite the glass).  As @mrsbozz pointed out when we have to put the TV on the firepit you aren't able to also have a fire which is kind of a bummer.  You can also see @mrsbozz's Chromebook in this photo, s he was doing some work for school while I was relaxing.


<center>![PXL_20250914_122012027.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242Y5h1M35vGKdu85bncnf5aUfVR2SaqsrnqABEAoUSP9JugtfmLhzESb1NqtNDgWE5co.jpg)</center>

----------------------

Sunday morning we got up and went for a walk back at [the new park I talked about here](https://peakd.com/hive-193212/@bozz/not-much-to-look-at), and then it was back home for an afternoon of NFL football, more grilling, and zero drinking (it's a school night after all!).


<center>![PXL_20250914_123837302.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xVKMoz5zVZqf7tZuxrSAC5yQf29Zr1viSxsDmBx92ekYFSqincV39s2wANQWtyo3EE3.jpg)</center>

-------------------------

As I said, it wasn't the perfect weekend, but honestly, it was pretty darn close.  I'm looking forward to sharing some of the thoughts and questions that popped into my mind while I was sitting out on my deck.  I might not get to all of them this week, but I promise I will do my best.  

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>










 







Weekend Experiences

A lot to think about

<center>![PXL_20250907_195204719.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tmFRPKJ3pSK5R7ChJdaayMrMY8T4yjUo2Qj8d9kCLLPfftH13sgcv3pD8e2k1hjf2hb.jpg)</center>

----------------------

I was spending a bit of time doing some personal tasks the other day and I happened to log into my retirement account through the state of Michigan.  I was actually checking to see if I needed to add our trust as a secondary or contingent beneficiary on the account.  However, while I was in looking at my account a number caught my attention and caused me to take a long pause.

## 29.0353

It didn't specifically say years like the total of this post, I think instead it referred to the number as "service credits". I never really took it that seriously when I used to tell people that I could technically retire when I was 50, and yet here I am and the reality is finally staring me right in the face.  

I've actually on got about 24.0353 years under my belt in the public education system, but when I first started working we had the option to "buy years".  For a small fee of $50 per paycheck for an eight year period, I was able to buy five years (or service credits). That means at 25 years I can retire with the same benefits as having 30 years of service.  At 30 years it would be like I had worked 35.  You get the idea...

<center>![PXL_20250907_210402060.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wC7Ld83RbmXuTAe5nxCcqoagLEYpn6UguaX6SUNGXGtNhUX2AYiNzi2iVayyxmLA3PV.jpg)</center>

--------------------------

I'm still on the fence about what I want to do.  As fun as it sounds to spend my days lounging around the deck and grilling dinner, I know I would probably get bored.  In fact, things aren't that bad where I work now, so I could honestly see myself putting in another five years if I wanted to.  @mrsbozz still has several before she can retire anyway.  

Then again, we all know that life in the public sector pays the bills, but it doesn't pay the greatest.  I could always retire and then try to find something in the private sector to supplement my income.  The idea of starting all over is quite scary to me though.  I'm pretty comfortable here and I have things running in a pretty efficient way.

My dream job would be some small business with an abundance of funding that needs someone to run their IT for them.  Manage some servers, manage some users, keep things running, play with new technology, actually, exactly what I am doing right now.  Just way better pay.


<center>![PXL_20250907_195517916.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wCBzWrb9E9wjgP4SA9SrHjkEEgicxmgPvhwDuDSD1KdHvXwRRHGgMZrTAWKnRZw6QQP.jpg)</center>

---------------------

But money isn't everything right?  I've learned over the past several years that my time is much more important than my money.  I can always make more money.  Time on the other hand is fleeting and it slips through your fingers much quicker than you can even comprehend. Where I work now gives me time to spend on HIVE, I get plentiful time to camp in the summer, and if an emergency comes up I know I can step out without much push back from those around me. 

That likely wouldn't be the case in the private sector.  Time is money in that world and every penny is tracked down to the second.  Since the $1.787 Billion Powerball jackpot is now off the table and they aren't pushing me out the door here, I might have to just stick around.

<center>![PXL_20250831_220746543.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tvaMS61njJLXQfgJg5z2GA8srxQDo9ryZ8vUMidmbbsWhBBMbjGajMXbtSLjcdSEt2f.jpg)</center>

------------------------

It's humbling to think I have been doing this career thing as long as I have.  I find myself in a quite reflective mood this morning and with who knows how much time ahead of me, I absolutely want to make the most of it.  

One other thing I noticed while I was in my account was the fact that my year to date contributions seemed quite low.  It's not that big of a deal since the pension system is more of a pool than an individual investment system, but like I said the number seemed low.  In fact, it was about 3x less than the amount I have invested on my own in other accounts.  Which makes me pretty glad that I started those other investments now!

The scary thing is, my good friend is proof that one major medical incident can flip all that upside down in the blink of an eye.  We just never know...


<center>![PXL_20250901_204326574.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23yTYsa5pCC36Jy7MJiutF8hDb81QCxRRvUKDEYRsSxyk38Xe4LTdwcCsiRFLSw8vPWqb.jpg)</center>

--------------------

So yeah, I guess I took a bit of a detour there in my train of thought, but less than a year until I can retire.  What would you do?  I don't think @mrsbozz would let it fly, but spending my days sleeping, playing disc golf, and BBQ'ing does sound like a lot of fun doesn't it?  

## SMR

The price of my favorite small modular nuclear reactor company NuScale has taken a bit of a dip lately.  It sounds like holders are taking some profits while the price is up and that in turn is driving the price down a bit.  With their recent agreement with the TVA, I still think SMR is a long term hold.  I won't be selling my shares any time soon.

##  Silver

I got a nice message the other day with a welcome surprise from someone in the #silvergoldstackers community. I don't want to ruin it for you, but I will be sharing more about it in the future.  Keep an eye out for that!

<center>![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vsr87j7hs1xACaWK8WAULpxGhvo4EF8GB8VHhtqihwUwPdwNSgvZqMw5Lcc8Qna1jcZ.png)</center>

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The next ten days look pretty amazing in my neck of the woods.  There is a good chance I will be doing several of the things you saw in this posts photos.  Plus maybe a little disc golf and some mandatory yard work thrown in for good measure.  Oh yeah, we might drive down to catch one of my nieces soccer games too.  Sounds like my weekend is booked solid already!

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>




29.0353 Years

<center>![IMG_20200808_110612.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/Eou7mZmtiDMpxSmP1XjkBPxd15kbuiTwwf4meGvrR3Z3qwXRxToBGAjxseog25ndVHe.jpg)</center>

----------------------

I feel like pretty much every time I get in the car and head out on the road these days it becomes even clearer to me just how much we need self driving cars.  I know this is a pretty controversial subject and quite honestly, I think a lot of it is simply tied to our idea of "control".  I also think it is plagued with biases, misconceptions, and misinformation.  Here's a little example:

I was sitting around the campfire with some friends the other day and I mentioned my feelings on self driving cars.  It was a pretty easy going and open conversation, but as soon as the topic was brought up, they basically shut down. They started talking about how they were more than happy driving their gas car.  Oddly enough, nothing was ever mentioned about electric cars.  I was simply talking about automated cars.  I get that Tesla does both electric cars well and self driving well, so it's only natural that the two would get so easily lumped together, but I also think this highlights the biases and misconceptions I mentioned earlier.

I'm sure @ericvancewalton has experienced similar situations.

It's true, I have yet to hear about a self driving gas car, but it's not unbelievable to think it wouldn't be possible.  I guess time will tell.


<center>![IMG_20200808_110628.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/Eoc772qwnoRNtf45bwn9DhHG4Je2X4nBBgDw5G8waGor45fosJxMkid9kuAsGuoFSiQ.jpg)</center>

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Working in IT, I trust computers.  They are actually pretty dumb despite this whole AI trend.  You give them data, they process the data, they give you a result. I have a person where I work who constantly comes to me and tells me one of our IT processes isn't working.  The truth is, the process is actually working just fine, but the data that is being given to it is bad.  She only sees the data on the back end, so she assumes the process is broken.  

## Like I said, computers are dumb (to a degree). 

They simply do a task with the data that has been given.  It's not the computers fault if the data is bad to begin with.  

I realize me saying computers are dumb might not give you a lot of faith in my argument that computers should be driving our cars, but just stick with me here...


<center>![Traffic.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23zGS3ikPJ2KxzDEnWj5X4Bfpb8HeFkujfPVtPWdwQe2fMDoQVEHgGTUmPijqqgFY8PN3.jpg)</center>
[source](https://pixabay.com/photos/highway-city-cars-traffic-road-7213206/)

-------------------------

This is rare occurrence where I had to use Pixabay for this image because I didn't have a good one of my own that depicted traffic.  As I said, the more I drive, the more I realize how much better off we would be if self driving cars were the norm.

Let's break this down...

* Driver A is that idiot who is going 95 MPH in a 70 MPH zone and gets mad when driver B is only going 80 MPH (again, in a 70 MPH zone).  He's likely talking on his hands free phone, and feeling quite entitled.  I know the photo doesn't look like it, but he is also probably driving a BMW.

* Driver B is a guy like me.  Perhaps a little aggressive with his driving, but happy to just set cruise control at 80 MPH in the 70 MPH zone and mind his own business.  Always keeping an eye on the traffic around him and just waiting for someone to cut him off because you know it's coming at some point.

* Driver C is guy on his way to work playing on his phone, the radio, and eating his sausage McMuffin with egg all while trying to focus on driving.

* Driver D is also on her way to work, but she is busy trying to merge with traffic while thinking about the big meeting she has later that day and also trying to put her makeup on.

* Driver E wants to be like Driver A, but they aren't even on the expressway yet and they are stuck behind this lady doing her makeup.  That means as soon as they see an opening they are going to cut across three lanes of traffic so they can go 95 MPH.

* Driver F is a dad trying to get his kids to school in the morning for drop off.  They are screaming in the back seats, throwing Cheerios all over and they are all trying to figure out if 
Timmy forgot his football gear at home.  He gets in the left lane to get around the car in front of him not realizing Driver A is barreling up the expressway at 95 MPH with Driver E close behind him.

* You can make up your own stories for Driver G and H, but you get the idea.

That's a whole lot of chaos happening.  Some might argue it's controlled chaos, but let's be honest.

## Control is a lie

You think you are in control, you think you are good at multitasking, but one small hiccup by any of the drivers in this photo and suddenly you have mass carnage.  


<center>![IMG20221016113446.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23ywpnHaK5bZ5ktpX9DZGeiJHBEbVfkM85eAtZrqJme3762bGDv1bFfQcg3G7dCFfBLmZ.jpg)</center>

-------------------------------

Now let's imagine a world where all of these vehicles are working in a giant network, adhering to a strict set of parameters and controls that work in concert to ensure that everyone just like data gets to their destination as quickly, efficiently, and intact as possible.

Let's say even two of the cars above are still people driving the traditional way.  I still like my odds more than the chaos I depicted in the example.  Data suggests there are about 17,000 auto accidents per day in the US.  That's actually lower than I expected, but still not an insignificant number.  I'm still putting my odds on a computer being more reliable.

I realize I am getting close to 1000 words for this post and I haven't even touched on the topics of road rage, impatience, and overall mental health when driving.  It's been suggested that self driving cars would alleviate a lot of the stressors and negative emotions that driving can introduce.  

I'll be the first to admit, I get frustrated when someone cuts me off in traffic. I probably drive closer to the person in front of me than I should, I think I can stop fast enough, but as I get older my reflexes are going to get slower, but @mrsbozz will have that "I told you so" out of her mouth at record speed.

What do you think? Where do you stand on the idea of self driving cars?

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<center>
### [My Sports Account - @bozz.sports](https://www.peakd.com/@bozz.sports)
</center>

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<center>![TEAMUSAhive_footer_bozz.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/fXpCTKUZ-TEAMUSA-hive_footer_bozz.jpg)</center>

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>







Take me for a ride...

[//]:# (!worldmappin 43.59064 lat -84.12764 long  d3scr)

<center>![PXL_20250901_121711190.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243qCzTURDr8btuUeGBmpLEaYdLL1vuSD2H8za6cdAqnDwEwZnSomQX4yp16nwfD31S8h.jpg)</center>

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We have been waiting for it all summer, but we finally reached that period of time where the weather has entered the "goldilocks" phase.  If you are familiar with the old story, this means that things are just about perfect, not too cold, not too hot.   In face, we have been blessed with days in the high 70 degree range and nights in the upper 40 to lower 50 range.  This means it's been close to a month now that I haven't had to run the heating or air conditioning in the house.

It also means that on the weekends @mrsbozz and I have been going out and doing some walking at some of our local areas.  We have only been back to the park we used to visit with our dog Jovi once since she passed.  It's still hard to walk there, and somehow it just didn't seem the same the one time we went without her.  Instead, I have been looking for other areas for us to take our walks.  


<center>![PXL_20250901_121730860.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xKr7RScSbzy518yKRJ5DZEc41bcQCZgCMoDac4RRXTjJyaaBb3Au2XziVUjmrViu14U.jpg)</center>

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Most recently, we took a drive over to Redtail Nature Preserve which isn't too far from where we live.  I already posted about another area like this, but this is one of those spots where the local global chemical company was required to create a greenspace to make up for all of the dioxins that they dumped into the local waterways over the years.  In my opinion, this hardly makes up for all of the damage they have caused, but it doesn't mean I am not going to take advantage of it.

As the title suggests, there isn't much to look at in this space.  It's basically an old farm field that they let grow wild and then they paved a portion of it.  That paved portion is what we love about this space though.  It's flat, less than a year old, and a dream to walk on.  


<center>![PXL_20250901_122810069.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgHutvVeiCERc4yp4wkStk3N5osVY4wVJMqiaGDruQc7XoncGcz1RwySVDxnAH8Dd6d.jpg)</center>

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As you can see from the earlier photo, the paved area is a nice loop that covers just about a mile exactly.  There is another portion of the trail that is not paved that stretches out another 2.8 miles, but we likely won't check that out until things are a bit drier and the ticks aren't quite so bad.  You also might notice from the sign that no dogs are allowed in this area, which means it would have been off limits for us before since my wife and I are rule followers unlike a lot of people these days.


<center>![PXL_20250901_122136996.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wgHcvwdQoPcmxmh9YNWjn1mP6eseSfPPAMo8QpPoYVuRCYkBtPBAubZvZ1Qx3s2uSnL.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250901_122559112.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xAPbPS3uFtokmh8hsMo8MQZfMyfATVvfT9NcdPzPivSwW9mTXuYDmebK8audTED7uN5.jpg)</center>

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At various spots along the trail they have these informational signs that give you some information about the area and the wildlife that lives here.  It's interesting that they avoid any mention of being forced to create these areas in the signs, but I guess I am not surprised.  

We've actually been back to this place at least one more time since I took these photos.  It's just a really nice trail to walk on, there hasn't been anyone else there the couple of times we have visited, and as I said it is relatively close to home.  


<center>![PXL_20250901_122140051.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/245w9CXkYLpDVvgYAwoAyr7srSM8QbiqMqbhDSvNNWo5jFb1sPMdDxuNAp65eGqhBFSRY.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250901_122843856.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23qrG6DPTdEi5YWuhoQmPzzG7A1rJpMY17J77KnMipKCUUvxR1H2oNrh1ksE3PwxeTG4i.jpg)</center>

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As I said before, there isn't much to see here.  There is also zero shade on the trail so if you were to come in the middle of the day on a hot summer day, it would be brutal.  Some people like that sort of thing though I guess.  This is actually a place I could see myself coming to do a quick mile run if I wanted to get away from the treadmill as I have been talking about with @gooddream lately.  I'm still not quite at the point where I would be able to make it all the way around without doing a bit of walking, but maybe one day....

Off in the distance of the upper photo, you can see some buildings.  Those used to be the home of Dow Corning before they merged with Dupont and Dow Chemical.  Now those buildings house a company called [HL Mechatronics](https://hallamechatronics.com/) which I have honestly never heard of before.  It looks like they are a research and development company, so I wouldn't be surprised if they have some government money flowing in.


<center>![PXL_20250901_122846675.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23qr9eB9SooDQA12PdnZCLVMvxfJeYHdLG8TQU7oGGaoq4R1uQcdPeiCimT8gppf2iYQf.jpg)</center>

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As you can see, the views aren't entirely bad, but not as spectacular as some of the other places I have wandered in Michigan.  I am going to include this as a #wednesdaywalk post sponsored by @tattoodjay since we have now visited the preserve twice and I would not be surprised if we visited there again this weekend (weather willing).  

In fact, I have a feeling this will become one of our regular destinations when we are looking for a spot to take a quick walk in the morning.  


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Not much to look at...

<center>![zNza-WpjTgWVmUTJZ22Z_Q.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xebjFgKof6WouRgsUAtJUyJAZQ3W4vLP8fcwZ2KihhZPaEfnG4QbaTVWybj4tntX2uz.jpg)</center>

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Have you ever met someone famous?  The opening photo above is probably about the closest I have ever come to meeting someone famous and it happened purely by chance.  We were heading back to our hotel after an afternoon of day drinking in downtown Nashville and we stumbled into the Goo Goo Cluster store right off Broadway.  

Turns out the Property Brothers were there from HGTV fame and they were doing a photoshoot because they were going to be at the opry.  I'm sure I have told this story before on here, but as you can see, my eyes are barely open and the whole thing was rather unexpected.  I'm sure we weren't the only inebriated people they dealt with that day, but it's still moment in time that I will never forget.  Partly because it was so awesome, and partly because I am a bit embarrassed I wasn't in a better state of mind.

Writing it down now, it feels like a pretty lame story. I know other folks on here have much better stories about meeting famous people.  I have some HIVE friends in the UK who have went to various meet and greets for their favorite bands.  There was another fellow on here who happened to meet Sade at a bar if I recall correctly and she asked for directions to somewhere.  

<center>![NP79yu6tTEOLBRilibanuA.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/EowF9ghYNf5fGJoB2a1EXXcj3c74HR7KHed7GitBEAxBmKqRyWXZxUdCZehPs2eMV47.jpg)</center>

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Definitely much cooler than my interactions with famous people.  My good friends son just went to a major Disc Golf event in Michigan and was sending photos back of himself interacting with some of the pros on the tour.  Now that's pretty cool too.  They might not be household names like other sports stars, but these guys are magic on the disc golf course.  

@mrsbozz has a cousin that played for the NFL, so that might count for me.  Our brother in law also has a brother in law that is head of freestyle wrestling for the US olympic team or something like that and I have met him, does that count?

Anyway, famous people are all over the place, even in music videos.  Today for my #threetunetuesday sponsored by @ablaze post I am going to share with you some songs where famous actors participated in the music videos.  I hope you enjoy!

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ufbexgPyeJQ?si=ge2e_peW5syfnSn2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

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[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbexgPyeJQ&list=RDufbexgPyeJQ&start_radio=1)

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Long before Tony Stark was on your radar (unless you are a comic fan), and well after St. Elmo's Fire by John Parr was blaring out of your boombox, Elton John released the song "I Want Love" and decided to put Robert Downey Jr. in the video.   I think this was right around the time Downey was getting out of rehab for the umpteenth time, I could be wrong though. 

I also feel like this was right around the time he was doing a little guest stint on Ally McBeal.  Which quite honestly deserves a post all its own if you ask me.  Anyway, I remember when this video came out and even back then it was just as moving as it was today.  

It's nice to see that Downey has been able to keep his crap together and basically reinvent himself into the celebrity and character that we all know and love today.  

It's actually a really simple video when you get right down to it, but I think it works really well with the complex lyrics of the song and the poignant message that it delivers.

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1D5PtyrewSs?si=xmYEcYM6oeoqC5gN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

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[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5PtyrewSs&list=RD1D5PtyrewSs&start_radio=1)

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Well after her little stint in the Bruce Springsteen video Dancing in the Dark that sort of launched her career, Courtney Cox found herself on a little sitcom called Friends.  She also found herself dating a guy named Adam Duritz who happens to be the lead singer of a band called Counting Crows. 

If you have been following me for a while, you know that Counting Crows is one of my favorite bands of all time.  They actually just released a new single and I will definitely be sharing it in a post soon.  

Anyway, besides dating Courtney Cox, he also dated Jennifer Aniston around the same time (really dropped the ball there buddy).  "A Long December" prominently features Cox which isn't surprising given their connection at the time.  This was the debut single from their second album Recovering the Satellites and was a huge hit for them off the string of hits they had off their freshman album August and Everything After.  

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wnM9WEha5E0?si=ZxZHI_8cru9DUB3M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

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[Direct Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnM9WEha5E0&list=RDwnM9WEha5E0&start_radio=1)

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Speaking of Friends, how about a little Joey to end your day.  Sure, sure, I could have shared any of the countless videos by Aerosmith that featured young female actresses, and who doesn't love to see Christopher Walken dance around to Fatboy Slim, but if you know me, you know I love Bon Jovi, so this one just seemed to fit.

Oddly enough, all of these seem to have come out in the 90's, so having famous people in your videos must have been the big thing to do back then.  Oddly enough, I didn't know about this one  until I was starting to do research for this post.  As soon as I saw Bon Jovi I knew I had to focus on this song.  

Also by some strange coincidence, Jon Bon Jovi was also a guest star on Ally McBeal for about ten episodes.  Although this was from the 90's, it have to have been right before Jon Bon famously cut his hair.  Trust me, it was a big deal back then.  

But yeah, Matt Leblanc in a Bon Jovi video, how cool is that?  What is your favorite video that features a famous person?  Was it one of these?  Is it a different song?  Word is there is a Beastie Boys video that has about twenty famous people in it.  Do you know the one I am talking about?

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<center>*All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or @mrsbozz unless otherwise sourced*</center>


Almost Famous

<center>![PXL_20250829_213520500.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2m3bedHxdSPPKKuBaUQZTsGgB19vAgLyvbMmWRUCt9DTy9QKUsc4yLybLUoCyroSMg.jpg)</center>

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I've been saying for a while now that Ohio is really starting to turn into a foodies paradise.  Between Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, there are a plethora of fantastic eating establishments to check out.  Even the fast food places know what's up because most of Ohio is considered a "test market" for a lot of establishments.  There's a good chance that new menu item at McDonald's was probably introduced a few weeks earlier in Ohio.

I'm lucky enough to have some family that lives in Ohio, and although it is a bit sacreligious for me to say (coming from Michigan), I really enjoy visiting Columbus, seeing my family, and eating some good food.  Although we do occasionally eat in when we go down to visit, the majority of our meals are  usually eaten out which despite what you might think from my posts is a rarity for @mrsbozz and I.  

That is to say, we may eat out more than some folks, but we certainly eat out a lot less than many other people (in the US).  There are so many great places in the greater Columbus area to eat at, that it is hard to decide if we want to try someplace new or visit the old standbys that we know will hit the spot.


<center>![PXL_20250829_210908660.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/242DETJyTTRkVyz3b5cd24yYcXoExyRhrNHh1HtnstjV7T1W3NZyZxXt6zMwkNMo7K6YG.jpg)</center>

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Columbus offers a wide range of options from dive bars to fine dining, food trucks to pretty much every fast food joint you can imagine.  On this last trip, we went back to a place we have visited once before in the past called [The Rail](https://www.railcraftkitchen.com/). My niece was hungry for a burger, so we made the decision to head to one of the three locations they have in Ohio.  You might want to check this place out sometime when you are home @ericvancewalton.  Standard gastropub fare, but it's quite good.  

The Rail specializes in craft items specifically from Ohio which kind of fits that farm to table vibe that a lot of places are leaning into these days.

With our middle niece off to college, it was just @mrsbozz, her sister, our brother in law, our oldest niece, her daughter, and myself on this trip.


<center>![PXL_20250829_211131209.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wMW99Dk4itN9mhG51vJ5nnCCzQkD1dwsNiQvbh3Taonc9pPuESrL5bFts3hAYArXWx8.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_211136195.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23x176bKK6AEiGKK2HjAxS4zP5Vh3pSBwGoofmLaZetD28HC65zTJ1fGYdd5xU5MqXZhd.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_211501597.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wX3CH963HWX5r17nSzW1M6Rysdo8Stc9M64cGAitDriWnppgmaT9qvngBZUbsMBDyzS.jpg)</center>

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It was happy hour, so we started off with some drinks and appetizers.  I got the old fashioned made with a local Ohio distilled whiskey, and @mrsbozz got some fruity thing that she said was very very good.  I should have taken a sip.  The old fashioned wasn't the best one I have ever had, but it was tasty and it definitely hit the spot after the four hour drive down to Columbus.

We also got a large soft pretzel and some deep fried pickles.  I liked that the pickles had just a lite batter on them versus some of the heavier beer batters you see on deep fried pickles.  The pretzel came with a delicious beer cheese and honey mustard to dip it in.


<center>![PXL_20250829_213422620.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xKvGnK3csoRLNGiWGKYq6gNdnDiFPTghSuHacU5MffNdGMxADXR2yTzqFTAcfRNwoPq.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_213426014.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23xefwjqpv8RWHq9RJiE9TLihts2XyuwEE4Uv1R5thBES5thU3RoW4inrFx6AaVxvCvEP.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_213520500.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23w2m3bedHxdSPPKKuBaUQZTsGgB19vAgLyvbMmWRUCt9DTy9QKUsc4yLybLUoCyroSMg.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_213523222.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23tmHcfcJHzkcGLybRALYG4GRDDfdb235HHaWz3EsWJtk56wSrj7ScoEz8gYfzpsf3xKq.jpg)</center>


<center>![PXL_20250829_213525553.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23vsNPAhDxHXwVPqWJ2QscyUQGsVaEN38fdDgdBWcEkHxaEV1h5XNq5KNJtN5QK4EiqGf.jpg)</center>

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As I said, it was happy hour, so they had some killer deals going on both food and drinks.  The smash burger was on special for $6 USD a piece, so each of us got one of those with the exception of my wife and the little one.  I paid a little extra to get the "loaded fries" with mine and while they were good, I was only able to eat about half of them (@mrsbozz had some too).  

The burger was probably one of the best burgers I have had in a while and definitely the best one I have had for $6 at a place like this.  It was the perfect size and the flavor was phenomenal.  I stole one of my wife's onion rings and those were dang good too!  Everything at The Rail was top notch!


<center>![PXL_20250830_163640216.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wCBw6BKf7WxScoPf3NSR7ApCQT8Nx3iVytEhQsWXbN7QusxD9BogjCCUfqdVJAWD4UV.jpg)</center>

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With our delicious meal on Friday night a distant memory, on Saturday afternoon we decided to walk down to a local place called [Condado](https://condadotacos.com/) to get some tacos.  Condado is actually a national chain that specializes in craft tacos and tequila.  I do love me a good taco, so I was excited to visit this place again.

They have some specialty tacos that already have a specific combination of ingredients, but then you can also make your own taco a la cart by picking the different protein and toppings you want.  I went with the Korean BBQ and Chicken specialty, and then I had them make a traditional carne asada with cilantro and onions as a third option for me.


<center>![PXL_20250830_163650131.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/23wCC9DGtgwXugfkd5iLzdh8tgtgQj7VjhFbCKzsPQyynGBZCq5jK5npRmEjtCCuczris.jpg)</center>

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@mrsbozz got one of their bowls and she said it was really good.  We also got some queso, guac, and salsa to share.  I think my favorite taco was probably the Korean BBQ one.  It had some good heat and amazing flavors.  One of the things that is really special about Condado is their craft shells.  They take a flour tortilla and spread either guac, queso, beans, or something else on it, then they wrap it around a corn tortilla for a really fantastic flavor profile.  You can see in the taco photo above the flour tortilla wrapped around the corn tortilla.  

Now just imagine something amazing spread in between the two and you will see how fantastic Condado can be.

The closest Condado to where we live is 86 miles away, so it is always a treat when we get to visit one of the locations across the nation.


<center>![PXL_20250829_194458523.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bozz/243M7EGFzw3PaG4YRnmhHmfbVY8cGHaoHAGi7GmLC8SADMQFVDzPcfuHK1DNRZA1dj5xc.jpg)</center>

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If you ever make it down to the Columbus, Ohio area, I highly encourage you to check out both of these places.  It's going to be hard with so many other options, but these places are top notch.  Great food and not too pretentious.  Casual, fun, and fantastic!

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Bozz (81)