Rebirth Of The Red Lantern: Volume 2, Chapter 1

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

It’s the economy, stupid! Okay, I’m not calling anyone here stupid, but I had to get that Hillary Clinton quote in because it’s appropriate. 

I lost just under 2.5% of my total net worth during the past two days. I avoided the big losses, yet this downturn affects me just the same. Hey, I still remember what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck!

No matter how we’re doing, we’re all going to cut back on things to some degree to weather through this madness. That’s our new reality. 

You know what else is a reality? The stock market rebounding at some point. That’s why people need to relax and keep a calm head as much as possible. Please don’t dive into investments that are intangible and/or sound too good to be true. You’ll just make things worse for yourself in the long run.

WHAT BOTTLE I OPENED 

Muirwood Chardonnay, 2023 (Total Wine, $13.99). The 2025 Wines page has been updated with a brief review, and I'm glad I found another good value wine.

WHAT I DIDN’T BUY

Remember the travel shaver and the pre shave oil I ordered from Amazon? It never arrived within 48 hours of “same day” delivery, so I canceled the order. 

I’ll continue packing my ARC 5 shaver for my travels, but I need a small leak proof bottle for Lectric Shave. Leak proof are the key words there, peeps. That’s my struggle.

WHAT DIVIDEND STOCKS I BOUGHT

I purchased Chevron (CVX) at $166.32 on Monday. It’s worth hanging onto despite the fact it lost nearly $20 a share since I purchased it. Ara ara!

On “Black Thursday” I doubled my investment in Best Buy (BBY) when the price dipped to $63.80. The annual dividend yield for these shares is 5.95%, which is outstanding. 

WHERE I’M GOING

I’m visiting Bert this weekend, and I need to close an old bank account that I haven’t used in several months. I noticed that the remaining balance is being cannibalized by monthly fees, so I need to put a stop to that. 

WHAT SACRED TEXTS I READ

• A Tale Of Two Cities (in progress)
• Tamon’s B-Side, Volume 7
• Life With An Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated As A Total Fantasy Knockout, Volume 6

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

April means sifting through the new anime season’s offerings. The best (to me) so far is Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty on HIDIVE. This one’s got that angst yuri vibe that made Girls Band Cry so enjoyable to watch.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

Metallica seems to be a favorite while driving Miku or Artoria, and also while streaming YouTube. Here's a live video of their song "The Struggle Within" that I love listening to just to get my blood pumping.

THE TOMMY MILNER SALUTE GOES TO…

Incompetent government officials are excluded, but Hell-on is no longer one of them. Good riddance, motherfucker!

A FIST BUMP GOES TO…

We could all use a hug right now, right? (((hugs)))

WHAT’S UP WITH MY WRITING

I’ve completed 40 of 52 chapters as of Friday night, and I have yet to suffer a serious case of writer’s block so far. I thought about waiting until my next trip to Temecula Valley to finish the first draft, but I’m inclined to get it done earlier if possible.

WHAT’S UP WITH MY HEALTH

I slipped and fell when I entered my home after a rainy errand on Monday and tweaked both of my knees. I missed Tuesday’s workout, but got my walk in on Wednesday. They're fine now.

To help with a lingering foot issue I’m trying out two different Dr. Scholl’s inserts in my cross trainers. The better of the two will be used with my walking shoes. The Timberland boots have adequate cushioning and don't require them.

I gained 0.2 lbs this week. That normally would be alarming, but I stress ate on Thursday for obvious reasons. I’ll let this pass for another week.