Bob Unembellished ⋅ 62 ⋅
More than a quarter of a century writing on the internet. I've shared a lot. I've learned a lot. Let's go for a half century!
Entries 134
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mini-vacation in Book Two
With the ladies away for a couple of days, it’s just me and the cat at home. And we are both going feral. Despite my urgings at 9pm and again at 10:30pm the cat did not come home. She stayed out...
Bordering on lunacy in Book Two
I am happy that no one that I can see from looking at the front page here is taking about Charlie Kirk. We have Facebook and Youtube for that. Podcasts too. And you know me, I’m Canadian and I’m...
Running uphill in Book Two
The goal is to write here every day. Just three or four paragraphs. One topic. Sometimes two. It is a good intellectual exercise, getting thoughts down on paper. Writing here also has the qualit...
5 pillars of a happy day in Book Two
It is weird that I have been retired for more than a year (maybe longer) and still I am not sure what retirement is all about. As such, I have recently been watching ‘retirement’ videos again. I...
The best kind of remote in Book Two
We met for coffee at my favourite hotel coffee shop. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been there. I used to meet all of my real estate clients there. The Huether Hotel. A long and varied hi...
I signed up for Amazon Prime, (free for the first month) since I was buying a few things - watercolour paper, microphone, microphone wind mufflers - hobby stuff. And with Prime, you get movies a...
Cat and me in Book Two
Most mornings I wake up with the cat sitting on my chest purring, purring, purring. Sometimes she paws my face if I’m deep in a slumber. It’s not a bad way to wake up. Better than an alarm clock...
Contentment is good enough in Book Two
Three years ago, I thought I would be retired by now. And I am. I thought the missus would be retired too. And she almost is. But I retired sooner than I thought. Once I started thinking about i...
George Peppard’s character on the A-Team used to say at the end of every episode, “I love it when a plan comes together.” It was his by-line. It’s mine too. I love it that it is now September an...
Caterpillar days in Book Two
I’m at the age where the kids of my friends are the same age as I was when I met my friends. I just realized that. And babies are starting to creep into the picture too. So, where did the time g...
When I see someone running a yellow light I always think to myself someday that guy is going to pay, someday he won’t be so lucky. It might be the 100th time he runs a light; it might be the 10,...
I was reading in the NYT the other day that the rate of reading is down 40% in 20 years. If you break that down further, reading among males is down more than for females. It is a sad state of a...
Sitting around in Book Two
The neighbours Adam and Marg from up the street returned yesterday afternoon. I was on the front porch having a beer with my neighbour from across the street - Big Buddy*. I hadn’t spoken with B...
My path to retirement in Book Two
I sold my last house in the autumn of 2023. It was valued at near $2M. My commission was 2%. It turned out to be a $37,000 paid day. Good time to quit real estate. Go out on top. I hadn’t real...
New speak double-talk in Book Two
When I first retired I felt a little guilty. Now I feel entitled. I feel entitled, not in the way that I should be treated with special respect or that I should be able to cut to the front of ...
The great purge of 2015 in Book Two
A few years ago I just wanted to get everything in order. I guess I was feeling overwhelmed though at the time I didn’t know it. All I knew is that I had to get everything straightened out. I ha...
Have dog, won't travel in Book Two
Scotty invited me to go looking at puppies with him and Karen. I declined. There is no way I’m getting a dog, I said. Looking at puppies is pretty much the same as buying a puppy. And they did, ...
A few years ago I threw a brick off the roof of my building. It sailed across the street onto the roof of the furniture store. The brick traveled twelve stories and landed on the metal roof with...
A guy I met, Carl, once said to me that the music of the early 1970s was the best music ever. He was an Eagles fan and bands of that Laurel Canyon, Yacht rock ilk - The Doobie Brothers, CCR… ear...
The cops are parked at the end of the street. They are watching the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. William Street. T intersection. That stop sign gets run all the time. Early morning. Midd...
When I’m in Taiwan, I eat all of my meals in restaurants. They are diners really, or food stalls in some cases. They have fresh, hot food and cheap and battered tables and stools. In Asia, eatin...
Let's go back in Book Two
My bad habits aren’t as bad as they used to be and my good habits are better. I’ve been noticing how my lifestyle has evolved over time. This makes me think, if I could go back in time, back 4...
Good fences make good neighbours in Book Two
We were like cousins. Now we are like neighbours, neighbours that have gone to the city land office to ask about getting a survey so we can build a big fence. That’s pretty much how I would sum ...
Routine? Check! in Book Two
My walkie talkie channel is making slow progress. That’s fine. I am just doing it for the sake of doing it. That and health. Health and mental wellness. I’ve decided again that I really do lik...
Times change. Websites change. The way we shop changes. I need a flow sensor for the pool so go to Amazon and buy one. Since I’m not a Prime member, I will have to wait till Tuesday. No worries....
