Home Depot Shopping List

When ever we head out to Home Depot to buy several items I will create a “shopping” list with what aisle and bay the items are in, because I’m a guy and you know how men hate to ask directions. And even if I’d didn’t mind, sometimes it is hard to find a orange vest when you need one. The list is created inside the Home Depot app that I have on my phone.

The first time I tried this method I was foiled by my lack of a strong enough signal on my Moto G7 from Cricket. It wasn’t just because I was in a giant metal building either, the store must be in a AT&T dead zone because I couldn’t even pull up the app in the parking lot.

The next time I created a list I thought maybe I’d just print it out, but unfortunately the app doesn’t have this function. This might have been a good thing because as I considered doing this I flashed on the Progressive commercial where a group is in the airport and Dr. Rick asks to see their tickets and they all have them printed on paper.

So my only real solution is to write down everything I wanted with their respective aisle and bay number on a post-it and put it my pocket. This feels just a little like Garndparentamorphosis…

13.1 miles on an cold morning cannabis run.
Times Miata Driven since 01/01/22: 9

 

Sport, Off-Road, Touring

Valentine’s Day Edition of SORT
As of Monday, February 14, 2022 at 6:00 PM pacific time:

Because it is Valentine’s Day I was going to pick out all red cars, but just last week I picked cars of the same color, so instead I’m going to pick cars I’d actually love to own. And the fact that I have picked three cars that are in the gray/silver category was purely accidantal.

Sport Off-Road Touring
2021 Porsche
Cayman GTS 4.0		 2018 Jeep Wrangler Golden Eagle 2016 BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon
The only thing I’d change on this car would be to paint the caliper cover black. First things removed will be the three golden eagle decals on the hood. Those yellow accents on the bottom trim will have to go along with that silly front tow strap.

Here is the MSRP for last week’s new cars. I’m sure that is exactly what I would have to had to pay for them too, what with crazy car market.
Sports: 2022 Porsche Cayman S – $87,690
Off-Road: 22022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon – $48,445
Touring: 2022 Audi SQ5 Sportback – $62,090

Marvelous

After I finished up watching all of Reacher on Amazon Prime, I was wondering what series I should watch next, a couple days ago I found out, we are getting a fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The first three seasons came out in 2017, 2018 & 2019 and I had completely forgotten about the show, a show that both Donna and I thoroughly enjoyed.

So, in preparation for the fourth season that starts on the 18th of February, we are rewatching the first 3 seasons again. Right now we are just past the halfway point of the first 26 episodes. In a show about a stand-up comedian the stand-up is not as funny as the fake audiences make it sound, but the cast, the writing and the overall look and feel of the show keeps us coming back.

Remember about a week ago I wrote that I sort of wished that Reacher wasn’t dropped all at once, but doled out a show a week like the sixth season of The Expanse was? Well, Amazon heard me, sort of, if the IMDB page for the fourth season is accurate, the six episodes will be released two at a time on four consecutive Fridays.

17 miles of running to the Running Y.
Times Miata Driven since 01/01/22: 8

 

The More Things Change

The more they change.

I just finished reading the latest Jack Reacher book, #26, called “Better Off Dead.” And I think it might be my last Jack Reacher book. This is the second book Lee Child has co-written in conjunction with his brother Andrew with the intention to retire and hand over the reins of the Reacher books to him.

I don’t know to what extent Lee has been involved with the writing in the last two books, but there has been a slightly different feel to “Better Off Dead” and #25, “The Sentinel.” I can’t actually put my finger on what it is, but I haven’t enjoyed these two books as much as I did the first two dozen.

The same thing happened with the Spenser books by Robert B. Parker. I read a few of the books in the early 2000s and liked them so much that I started searching used book stores, eBay and garage sales trying to find the 35 or 36 novels already out. My collection of books ended up roughly half paperback and half hardcover and I read every one of them in order, from the first to the last. I even created a page here on the blog entitled Spenser’s Crime Buster Rules.

Robert B. Parker, like Lee Child, wrote a new book each year, so I bought the next three hard covers when they came out. But in 2010 Mr. Parker died of a heart attack and his estate worked with the publisher to find an author willing to take on the task of continuing the series. Ace Atkins finished the book Mr. Parker was working on when he died and then continued the once a year writing schedule. I think I read a couple of those books written by by him, but again it just didn’t seem the same, so I stopped.

Both Andrew Child and Ace Atkins were novelists in their own right when they took over from the creators of the already beloved characters, but I just think the writing slightly changed. Then again I’m willing to concede that maybe it is just me and my perception because there was a different name on the books.

Sport, Off-Road, Touring

Tiring of looking at more of the same overpriced previously owned vehicles on Bring A Trailer, this week I’m going to just go ahead and buy brand new versions of the three types of cars. And I bet even with paying total MSRP for them I will still come out cheaper than one low mileage 80’s Porsche 911 Turbo.

New Blues Edition of SORT
As of Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:00 PM pacific time:

Sport Off-Road Touring
2022 Porsche
Cayman S		 2022 Jeep
Wrangler Rubicon		 2022 Audi
SQ5 Sportback
Addons from the base model were the Shark Blue paint, 20″ Carrera S Wheels, Premium Package, Power Sport Seats and the 7-speed Porsche PDK giving an MSRP of $87,690 Addons from the base model were the Hydro Blue Pearl paint, Black 3-Piece Hard Top, Cold Weather & LED Lighting Groups, 8-speed Auto w/ 2.0 Liter Turbo giving an MSRP of $48,445 Addons from the base model were the Ultra Blue Metallic paint and the Convenience Package giving an MSRP of $62,090

Here is what last week’s cars sold for, or bid to, if the reserve was not met.
Sports: 2001 BMW M3 Coupe Sold for $50,000 on 2/4/22
Off-Road: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 240GD Sold for $44,000 on 2/5/22
Touring: 1955 Ford Courier Sedan Delivery Bid to $18,000 on 2/2/22

That Was Fun

So I watched the first episode of Reacher on Thursday. On Friday I watched five in two shifts and on Saturday I finished the last two. Now, I’m almost sorry Amazon didn’t do to Reacher what they did for the sixth season of The Expanse because I have no will power.

For The Expanse‘s first 5 seasons the episodes were dropped all at once, but for the 6th, they released one episode each week, kind of like old school TV. So, because of that lack of will power, I have churned through all 6-1/2 hours of Reacher and now I will have to wait another year or so for more, that is, if they do decide to make more.

Anyway, I enjoyed the series and if you like that sort of tough guy takes on the world with lots of fighting, shooting, blowing things up sort of thing, you should watch it. If you have read the books, the plot of the first book is almost all there and for the most part follows right along with the novel. Almost all of the changes, except for maybe a couple of head scratchers for me anyway, are there for TV purposes, like too expensive to film or nearly impossible to recreate.

Because this was more or less an origin story for our hero, they did give us some flashbacks, that came from a short story called Second Son, to sort of explain Reacher to folks who may not be book readers. And because this is 2022 and the book was written in 1997, some of the supporting characters get some different beats to make it feel up to date. They also introduce a reoccurring character from several other Reacher books, but is not in the Killing Floor that this based is on. But that is fine and probably was done as a carrot for the actor, so she knows that there is more work coming her way.

As with the Tom Cruise movies, and I was unaware of this because of my steadfast refusal to watch them, the author Lee Child has a cameo in the show in the very last episode: