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.
'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've got that right, Lizelle! It drove us crazy. We're well beyond the halfway point now so the finish line is in sight. : ) We'll only have to stay in a local hotel for three more nights the first week of December, while the kitchen tile floor is being demolished and reinstalled. The Northern Lights are something to behold if you ever get a chance to see it—they really are special. Thank you! I hope you're enjoying your weekend too.
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
Yes, M'am, they do. It's almost like it becomes your full-time job after a while. I'll be so glad to free up my time and mental bandwidth after this is all done. Keeping the contractors on track has proven to be like herding cats. Oh yes, the world seems like it's in a very dark place right now. I'm doing all I can to stay positive. Thank you and I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
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.
We talking about how vulnerable they must be all the time but Casper was one of the first squirrels we saw after we moved in and he's still around. A few months back he had some bad wounds on his back and sides, it looked like a predatory bird strike. He's all healed up now though. Casper is a tough one.
Luckily, our son hasn't had to do much work for us but he volunteered to do this so we were happy about that. He did an excellent job, everything is very neat. Thank you! We're on our final push now—kitchen floor, countertops, and cabinet refacing happens in December. We have a master bathroom that needs attention too but we'll be waiting until '26 or '27 to tackle that.
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.
I love them—one bite instantly transports me to childhood. I think Krystal burgers, down south, are very close in taste to White Castles. Animals are so much smarter than people give them credit for. Haha, raccoons are very food-motivated! We have a fat one that checks our front yard every night. I eat an apple every night and throw the apple core out there for him.
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.
Thanks! You can say that again. We've had more than our share of contractor shenanigans throughout this past year. That's too bad! The NL's were supposed to be visible two nights here but we just saw them the first night.
That Aurora Borealis shot is amazing <3 very lucky. I caught a couple lovely sunsets here, but nothing of that scale. As for the house, steady but sure, you're getting there. Just think you've now covered the sink at least and that's one thing you can cross off the list.
'Dirt' looks good. Can't wait to give it a try - thanks for the recommendation, Eric:)
P.S. Speaking of Bourdain...here's the Holiday Munchies podcast ep he appeared on. I listen to this around the holidays every year. : )
Thank you! What a perfect way to slowly get ready for the season.
You're welcome!
We catch the Northern Lights here every five or so years, or so it seems. This is, by far, the most vibrant I've seen them in the Twin Cities area. We might be far enough away that the light pollution doesn't hinder viewing too much. OMG, the only thing that's getting us through this is the fact we have so little left to do (during this phase). You're welcome! I think you'll like this series. I know you're a fan of AB too and I think you'll totally recognize the similarities once you dive in.
You really had a busy weekend. Renovating the kitchen cabinet was worth it as I could see. Have a great weekend
Thank you, I hope you enjoy your weekend as well!
#hive #posh
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.
It certainly has been interesting. We're looking forward to the end result and the fact we'll never have to do this again. : )
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.
Thank you.
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.
Thank you.