Since Anthony Bourdain unexpectedly left us in June of 2018 I’ve felt as though I’ve had a pretty sizable void in my sphere of existence. Almost immediately there was a swarm of content creators clamoring to try to be “the next Bourdain” but somehow every one of them missed the mark.
In the last year I found an adventure travel series that comes close to those unmistakeable, No Reservations vibes. Without trying, host Josh Rosen manages to recapture some of the on-screen magic Bourdain could conjure while retaining his own unique originality.
The adventure travel series is called, Dirt, and it streams for free on YouTube. There will never be another Tony Bourdain but if you enjoyed No Reservations I’d encourage you to give Dirt a try.
House Renovation Update
This week our kitchen remodel began and we owe most of the week's turmoil to this. I'll start by saying you don't realize how much you appreciate a kitchen sink and dishwasher until you have to go without them for three days.
The crew came out on Wednesday to modify the kitchen sink cabinet to accept the new, deeper, farmhouse sink. Since the new sink is the undermounted variety it had to be installed prior to the new countertops.
Our son is a licensed plumber so he, very kindly, reinstalled the plumbing under the sink.
Yesterday the countertop crew paid us a visit. They used a German made hi-tech contraption (pictured on the tripod) that scans the entire kitchen in a matter of minutes and measures the countertop space down to the millimeter.
This allows them to precut all of the countertop pieces in the factory beforehand so, theoretically, they're a perfect fit on installation day. We've had a plethora of hiccups during this remodel so the proof, for me, will come when I see it all come together with my own eyes.
The Squirrel Whisperer
Or should I say squirrel whistler? We've been walking the path through the woods behind our street now for a year. We bring nuts with us to feed the critters during our walk. I started whistling before I throw them so now, after almost a year of this routine, I whistle and the squirrels come a' running.
We have a group of albinos in the woods. We've spotted three of them so far but they're always among the first to sprint towards us. We've named this one "Casper" and he must have some southern genes because he's a huge fan of pecans.
Aurora Borrelias
Last week much of the Northern Hemisphere was treated to a colorful and intense light show. We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights last week in our neighborhood despite the light pollution from the city. In a strange way, seeing the many photos of this somehow helped to soften the edges of a particularly prickly week.
A Little White Castle Therapy
Another thing that helped give us comfort this week was the taste of White Castle cheeseburgers. These delicious morsels haven't changed a bit (except for the price) since I was a boy growing up in the 1970s. When our son asked if we wanted any during one of his runs to the hardware store, of course, my response was "absolutely!"
These things never fail to put a smile on my face. Words can't even begin to describe how good they are. Call me crazy but I'd be hard pressed to chose between a sack of these cheeseburgers and a gourmet dinner from a Michelin star restaurant.
Speaking of Chaos...Crypto
This market cycle is proving to be completely exhausting. Despite particularly low downward volatility during this crypto market cycle sentiment amongst token holders seems uncharacteristically low. Retail investor patience is worn thin. The lack of huge upwards swings in price have kept a tremendous amount of new retail investors from jumping into the market as they have done during past bull market cycles. The new money coming in seems to be, primarily, from institutional investors.
The landscape is changing dramatically for crypto and a lot of influencers and analysts are scrambling to try to predict the next market moves based on past cycles. Many long time Bitcoin OGs are stepping off the merry-go-round and cashing in large stakes as companies like MicroStrategy and Blackrock hungrily snap up as much Bitcoin they can.
What happens next? It's anyone's best guess. I'm still of the mindset that we'll see one horrifically violent upswing just when we least expect it before we descend into the icy depths of next bear market. The only thing I know for certain is you'd better have your exit strategy ready and stay out of leveraged trades.
Aside from that, seek out the positive and try to enjoy life as best you can—this is always the best strategy.
All for now. Thanks so much for reading.
This post feels very real and relatable. I still feel the absence of Anthony Bourdain too, and I’ll definitely check out the ‘Dirt’ series ,sounds like something he would’ve enjoyed. The kitchen remodel chaos made me smile, and feeding squirrels is always fun. The crypto market is rough lately, but I like how you focus on finding small moments of positivity.
The kitchen renovation adventure seems to have been both tough and exciting! It is interesting to see how much effort is involved in a kitchen makeover, particularly with all those advanced gadgets.
I love how you’re finding little joys in life, from the Northern Lights to feeding squirrels, and keeping Bourdain’s adventurous spirit alive through Dirt.
'No place to hide' for dirty dishes, for sure spells chaos!
Always think of the end result, not easy though when you're in the midst of it. Will be so worth it when it's all done.
We (obviously) never see the Aurora Borrelia, must be so special, it looks stunning!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend Eric.
You really had a busy weekend. Renovating the kitchen cabinet was worth it as I could see. Have a great weekend
Those remodeling jobs can feel like forever. It’s good that you have someone trustworthy working on the plumbing. That part can be tricky and give you headaches. Right now, at this hour on Saturday, I enjoy reading someone like you who always has high hopes and is very positive. Because if we just stick to the numbers and forecasts of some people, we shut the door and throw away the key. Hugs
Albino squirrels! Doesn't seem like a good survival strategy. I once got stuck taking care of white mice. I could not let them go in the park because they would have been someone's dinner in no time flat. I was stuck with those mice for two years, until they died natural deaths :)
Lucky you with a plumber for a son. That's better than having a doctor in the family.
Good luck with the renovations. It really does look like a trial, but will no doubt be beautiful when complete.
White Castle, it has been years since I saw one of them. They do have the best burgers.
Animals are fast learners. We used to throw a fish to a coon while castnetting. It knew the sound of our motor and would run to the shoreline to get his fish.
Kitchen is looking good! That is great that you have someone you can trust for the plumbing. I wish I had one of those! I'm glad you got to see the aurora too. We had too many clouds in Michigan.
#hive #posh