KFCblog - September 2022

Life

I finished my visit to the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a few personal days in the UK with my daughter Kelly. We did a [highly recommended] walking tour of Liverpool and learned much about the Fab Four. Additionally, I crossed a new country off my visited list with an afternoon jaunt to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales (colloquially called lon-fair-P-G). Kelly had learned to pronounce it several years ago and wanted to visit. Above is the photo we took at the train station.

Sports World

LIV vs PGA - an interesting disruption. I'm not sure I'm in favor of LIV, but I don't have issues with the players joining it. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, one of the largest anti-LIV voices, makes a statement ($18M) final day win.

Serena Williams makes (likely) her last appearance at the US Open. Hoping for a "living legend" swan song like Jimmy Connors in 1991. Update - Fantastic second round upset followed by a disappointing third round 3 set loss. #GOAT

The NFL kicks off this week. The Buffalo Bills vs Tampa Bay B?r?a?d?y?s? Bucs (with the Chiefs and the Packers as the next up). I've seen Bears predictions between 3-14 and 10-7; the Giants have been spread between 6-11 and 10-7.

61? Aaron Judge is on pace for 62 homers.

Hello, World

This month's "work" section is going to be a little more about life, mindset and gratitude. Here it goes.

A few weeks ago, I got up early and took a bike ride. I stopped at Dunkin and got a few donuts and muffins for my girls (I swear I didn't eat one). Later that afternoon, we were getting ready to go to the Bears first pre-season game, and I couldn't find my wallet. I was fairly sure I had it at the donut shop but wasn't 100% certain since I paid for it with my phone. I checked all the usual places - kitchen, office, laundry, car, etc. No luck. We had to head out, so I grabbed my passports, a spare credit card and a little cash; we headed out to the game.

After the game, I restarted the search. I looked in all the same places - still not there. I looked under the seats of the cars (even ones I hadn't driven). I got back on my bike, and re-traced the route of the morning, all the way to the donut shop then back along the way I returned looking along the side of the road, checking with the donut people. All efforts were unsuccessful. I started building my hassle list of what I needed to do to recover: cancel and replace credit cards, get a replacement drivers license, write off the cash as gone, etc. But good news was to be had. I found the wallet tucked into a baseball hat on the floor of the car; I had looked under the hat but not in the hat. I was elated. Thrilled. A smile ear to ear. Everyone noticed what a good mood I was in. And then it hit me...

Every day I don't lose my wallet! How do I capture that feeling of happiness, gratitude and "my life is good" every day that I don't lose my wallet (which I'm quite sure is all the days of my life less one). We all have days that are full of highs and lows. But now I can pause and reflect on how fortunate it was that I didn't lose my wallet today.

Puzzle Corner

Last month's puzzle was about candies. Here's the answer:

First, draw a candy from the bag labeled “Assorted” and note the flavor of this first candy. Then, draw a candy from the bag labeled with that first flavor, and note the flavor of this second candy. If that second candy has the same flavor as its bag’s label, avoid that bag! Otherwise, select the bag labeled with that second flavor, as well as the bag labeled “Assorted.”

Caught My Eye

Do you run into websites hidden behind a paywall? You can use archive.today to archive the page and then view it. Browser extension available too.

2022 Sports Photography Award winners. My favorite.

For math geeks: How to calculate the square root of a perfect square in your head.

HowManyOfMe.com - how many people in the US have your name? For me, it's apparently four

I realize even Covid shots have become a politically divided issue, but here's a FAQ on the new shots coming out this month in the US.

DuckDuckGo (a privacy focused search engine) now has a free beta email forwarding service. It strips trackers, etc. and then forwards to your real email address. It also has an automated disposable email generator.

Here is a list of iPhone tricks/features. I did not know several.

Bill Nye explains the amazing images from the Webb Space Telescope.

A report on teen usage of social media. YouTube #1, big drop to TikTok #2, Instagram #3, Snapchat #4, big drop to #5 Facebook

Neal.fun : time wasting site. My favorite is Absurd Trolley Problems.

Are you puzzled by these very specific wrong number texts? e.g. "Aaron - I have the pumpkins you ordered." Here's the explanation behind them.

A fantastic animated gif showing how a sewing machine works.

I Bought This: Joey needed an upgrade. Current $200 off trade-in.

Closing Quote

“A good life is a progressive expansion of the things that bring you pleasure.” ~ Dr. Andrew Huberman