Rebirth Of The Red Lantern: Volume 1, Chapter 9

WHATS ON MY MIND

Money matters. The renters policy renewal suffers from “coverage creep”. There’s no way in hell I need $31k to cover my shit, so I’ll call them to reduce coverage to a more realistic amount. The auto policy hasn’t arrived yet, and despite a clean driving record I’m bracing for a rate increase just like everyone else. 

My taxes are done. My gross income was unexpectedly higher due to capital gains from my mutual funds and my stock trading account. That’s both bad and good. Bad because I wasn’t expecting to owe so much. Good because in retirement I almost made as much as I did at my last job. 

I didn’t need validation that I made the right decision to walk away 2.5 years ago, but I’ve got it now.

WHAT BOTTLE I OPENED 

Blue Canyon Pinot Noir, 2022 (Total Wine, $15.99). I’ve updated the 2025 Wines page with my brief review. I’d buy it again but with certain conditions.

I’m opening a cabernet sauvignon this week. Assuming the flavor wasn’t altered by the heat wave two weeks ago I look forward to having it with a spicy steak tonight. 

WHAT I BOUGHT & A LIFE LESSON

Best Buy. When the market panicked on Tuesday, BBY dropped from $86 a share to as low as $73. I snapped up 20 shares at about $75. They will either make me a modest profit or be used for loss harvesting later in the year.

On Thursday I closed my jumbo money market account after the interest rate dropped to 0.25%. I put $40,000 in a 10-month CD at 4.26% interest and the rest in an ordinary savings account as an emergency fund. This will pay me over $1,500 in interest/dividends during those ten months versus only about $200 by not doing anything at all. 

The lesson? Always make your money work for you when possible.

WHAT MADE ME HAPPY

I’m admittedly mid at Wordle, but this glorious thing happened yesterday. I did it in three tries? I did it in three tries!

WHERE I’M GOING

I’m running out of chunky almond butter and Clawhammer peppermints. That’s a great excuse to visit Dudley’s for lunch soon, weather permitting.

WHAT SACRED TEXTS I READ

I had nearly forgotten about the bawdy Outlaw Tamer! I reread the prior volumes plus the most recent one so I’m caught up for Volume 5’s release in a few weeks.

• All Quiet On The Western Front
• Rent-A-Girlfriend, Volume 29
• Rise Of The Outlaw Tamer And His S-Ranked Cat Girl, Volumes 1-4
• A Tale Of Two Cities (in progress)
• Green Lantern #20
• Birds of Prey #19
• Rogue: The Savage Land #2
• Batgirl #5

Also in progress from J-Novel Club 

• The Hero And The Sage: Reincarnated And Engaged, Volume 4
• The Poison King: Now That I’ve Gained Ultimate Power, The Bewitching Beauties In My Harem Can’t Get Enough Of Me, Volume 4
• The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live The Empress! Redoing The Story After A Poisonous End, Volume 1
• My Fiance Cheated, But A New Love Rings!, Volume 1
• My Tiny Senpai (manga), Volume 1
• An Introvert’s Hiccup Hookups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels For Me!, Volume 10

WHAT I WATCHED

The late Kevin Samuels on YouTube. I sadly didn’t discover him until after his death, but his words of wisdom mirror mine when it comes to the modern dating scene. 

There’s lots of nickels masquerading as dimes out here, so it’s no wonder all the good men have checked out. Then there’s what they push versus what I value. I’m only interested in a six figure income and their own home if they’re going to support my lifestyle. 

If women are going to approach me as masculine, then I’m better off with a man. I’d have a better chance of finding someone that’s loving, affectionate, supportive, and treats me like an equal.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

I was in a mellow mood one evening, so I listened to Evanescence and Sarah McLachlan. Both of them were frequently played on my car stereo two decades ago, and they lifted my mood in 2025.

THE TOMMY MILNER SALUTE GOES TO…

San Diego FC’s fans. At the inaugural MSL home opener last weekend, they broke out the “P*to” chant in the final minutes because of course they would. That'd never happen at a San Diego Wave FC game.

A FIST BUMP AND A SUPPORTIVE HUG GOES TO…

Joao Paulo de Oliviera. I just learned that the native Brazilian was bypassed for a possible return to Super GT’s top tier GT500 series this season due to being on the wrong side of forty. I think we can all relate to that. *sigh*

WHAT’S UP WITH MY HEALTH

I had a foot problem that inhibited my pace during walks, but otherwise it wasn’t an issue. I also lost three of the five pounds I gained last week. Yay!