NYC Journal

[Calzone]

For the next few weeks we will have the grandson. If everything works out with the sale of the house in Cortlandt Manor then this will be a long goodbye.

The cost of living is less in the Carolinas, but so are the incomes. New York is a tough place.

My friend Andrew is a man who built a 52 foot sailboat from scratch. He lived on that boat moored in the Hudson River. Tentatively this Saturday we will go boating, He sold the sailboat, but he has some small powerboat.

Also next Saturday is some Hi-Fi show meet-up at the lodge at Blue Mountain.

Pretty much I now have a very laid back lifestyle of relaxation.

Next big project is laying down a plywood floor in the attic so it could be utilized for storage. Thinking of paying a neighbor’s father to do it. Hmmm. Perhaps I’m getting lazy. I know I am an old man an a bit tired.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

73 degrees, Another nice day.

Locally I see and hear the chatter of a slowing economy. I would not say a recession, but more of a pause. There are also some headlines saying that retail investors are leaving the market, taking the money and pretty much locking in profits.

It is an election year and in Europe the turn is to the right. This political volatility is causing a bit of a sell off in the European stock markets, and pretty much you can expect the same unsettled situation and uncertainty to happen near November in the U.S. Either party is a turn for the worse and expect mucho volatility and even turmoil.

The markets don’t like uncertainty…

I saw an interesting headline that speaks a certain amount of truth. Pretty much it weighed and favored the money you get to keep verses the amount of income. I can agree with this to a point, but know there are many ways to become wealthy.

Sometimes keeping what you earn means owning a home, sometimes its hoarding hard assets in a time of high inflation, sometimes it is just living below your means and saving.

“No-one ever got rich by paying taxes,” they say, and I can see some reason in that.

“Maggie” is high maintenance. Today we had to go to her eye doctor. Last year she had cataract surgery, most recently a laser procedure to remove some cloudiness, but now she has “floaters” in her vacuous gell in her eye that had that laser procedure. The other eye still has to get the laser procedure.

I see a change in my body. More muscle, I’m thicker, and perhaps not so boney. Perhaps I’m developing a man’s build over maintaining my kid’s body. Perhaps not so youthful, but I’m cool with that. My chin beard now is almost pure white and elsewhere white is spreading, even to my eyebrows.

Presently roasting a chicken and corn on the cob wrapped in foil. The grandson is a chicken hound. I call him Mister Yum-Yum because he is a big eater. He appears to have the potential of becoming a really big boy. Lately he carries around a guitar, and pretty much he dances also. I can tell he will likely be a lady-killer. He displays mucho charm.

I’m trying out a back to back Uniknot to join mono to braid. The braid is so thin that it is hard to tie. A bit tedious to do. Can’t see doing this on the beach.

Next on the list is a 7 foot spinning rod with medium light action for my 15 pound reel. Pretty much I can recycle my new reel so it can serve both boat and surf. Back in the pin-hooking days I fished with two rods: I held a spinning rod in my right hand; while I held a casting rod in my left. Pretty much holding and fishing two rods at once. No dead sticking.

So far it has been a slow entry into summer.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

My friend AJ has an Arrow Racing mud tire for me that is a 24 incher. At one time he was sponsored by Arrow Racing. Could be mighty cool.

The grandson looks to have many interests and talents. First off he can dance, then today he was carrying around his guitar, I would say he could be a farmer because he likes digging in the dirt and today he was harvesting strawberries. Then again he might become a chef or a competitive eater.

Some of my nicknames are sharkey because he is an aggressive eater, and jaws. Lately I call him Chipmunk because he stuffs his mouth and his cheeks bulge.

Did I mention that he is kinda big and might become a monster man like my neighbor. Because of us being a caretaker for his first year of life, he is very-very advanced. He calls me “Bah” and to day I would call him by his name and then he would say “Bah.” This volley on calling each other went on for several minutes.

On Wednesday I go for a MRI of my prostrate. Pretty much my PSA is elevated and fluctuates and borders on the high side.

I guess I don’t really enjoy so much going to the Jersey Shore. Lots of family dysfunction and alcoholism present. For me kinda sad, and since “Maggie” and I don’t drink, kinda toxic. I’m not talking just drinking; I’m talking heavy drinking.

Pretty much I did my kinda “death-march” to Seaside Heights, went fishing by myself, and read the book on the two solo rowing journeys across the Atlantic Ocean.

Pretty much I’m glad I’m home. Kinda peaceful. The Audi A4 is a great comfortable ride. Now I’m spoiled. I was glad to see the growth in my garden.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The markets are churning. Today’s pre-market is a red screen. Likely we can expect a summer of volatility.

More fine weather, except for possible rain Friday. With the Hudson Valley’s moody weather anything is possible.

Later the Buchanan Library for some kiddie event for the grandson.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

“Maggie” worries about everything. The grandson has some OCD behavior, but don’t we all?

He is kinda turning out to be a hippy. He seems obsessed with guitars at this point. He sleeps with a guitar.

Yesterday we watched some U-tube performances of Julian Lage, a Telecaster player who is was a child prodigy. He started playing at age 5 and at age 6 performed publically.

Cal

 

[Nokton48]

You should start to play guitar with him. Did I tell you my Son played the electric bass in a couple bands; We appeared at the RockNRoll Hall of Fame. Let in the secret back way (Artist's Nest). Twas Cool. I had Leicas hanging all over me, (playing Jim Marshall) LOL. Tri-X processed in Acufine.

It is good he sleeps with guitars

 

[Calzone]

I find it amusing. OCD behavior can be framed in a good way. In other words obsession is and can be a good thing. Who wants to aspire to be “extra-medium?”

I was obsessive with my printing, and that is how I got good. I shot mucho film in an obsessive manner when film was cheap.

Being good or great at anything requires a bit of obsession. Kinda funny how “Maggie’s” overthinking is obsessive, but I judge this as a bad thing.

BTW the grandson is only 22 months old and just a kid. New nickname for him is “Strawberry.” Seems like he loves picking ripe ones and eating them. He has strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. I predict a lady-killer when he grows up.

He seems to love my Teles.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Just ordered a Saint Croix 7 foot spinning rod with a 30% discount. It was a pretty good deal.

I saw a headline about the FED having to raise rates if it really wants to kill inflation. Any rate cuts would reignite inflation is the opinion. I kinda share this opinion, but kept quiet.

Usually someone has to lock in losses, debt has to be paid, and spending has to stop. None of that is happening. Pretty much a bit of a zombie economy.

Best to only spend when it is a bargain or an opportunity. The bad place to be today is saddled with debt. Pretty much I wait on the sidelines for the shoe to drop.

I really like the tiny spinning reel I bought. It balances well on my 10 foot surf rod, and that is well suited for casting 1/2 to 2 ounce lures. The rod I just bought does well with 15 pound test and also 1/2 to 2 ounce lures. This is kinda light for salt water, and pretty much this goes well with a 7 foot casting rod I own, so I can do my two rod two handed fishing.

I guess the idea of one day getting a Hobie pedal Kayak is still in the picture… Anyways I’m now rigged out with rods.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Off to get a MRI of my prostrate. My PSA levels fluctuate and are at times elevated over the threshold.

Seemed to have lost a little weight, but of course gaining weight is easier than loosing.

I plan on recycling the book “Completely Mad” to my friend Andrew the sailboat builder. Her certainly is a seaman having lived on a 52 foot sailboat he built from scratch.

Saturday will be hot and sunny, so it will be a good day to be on the Hudson River. I’ll bring no rods on this trip.

I also have to pick up the free Arrow Racing tire from AJ.

I love my calm life.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

In a day or two I’ll find out the results of the MRI. Pretty much a Prostate biopsy is mighty unpleasant if needed and the MRI is a baby-step in that direction.

They say that Prostate Cancer will effect about half of the male population and it is a matter of age. Many times the Cancer is so slow growing that a man will outlive the Cancer. As you age your odds increase that Prostate Cancer will be part of your life. Pretty much age related.

I was on a watch and wait, just getting tested twice a year instead of the usual once a year with the annual physical.

Basically this is part of being old.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The markets rose on a good CPI report that suggests inflation is moderating, but the peak over 350 points faded, but still is in the green.

The markets are expecting or wanting a rate cut, perhaps as early as September.

I’m on the other side of this thinking that some pain needs to be experience to really kill inflation. BTW if Trump gets elected in November we can expect more inflation from his policies is one headline, but then again Biden’s policies also are inflationary.

Who knows who is worse. All I know is inflation hurts every one, but not everyone equally. I suspect that inflation might be actually encouraged by our FED because it is a way to manage the debt load. This involves destruction of purchasing power and debasing a currency.

On the other hand high interest rates inhibit the FED from rolling over the Federal debt. Pretty much the FED is forced to pay higher interest rates also. Right now we are near the upper limit that is manageable. A further rate increase hurts the FED also.

“Payback is a bitch,” they say. This is why I predict rates higher for longer and a prolonged period of moderate inflation or even stagflation if there is a slowdown.

The above is a worry of mine as a lower tide lowers all ships.

Gold prices and of other hard assets can get mighty crazy as people buy to store enduring wealth.

A headline is that a commodity to buy is lumber over oil as a hedge over inflation. Building supplies are already expensive… This suggests and supports the idea the housing shortage isn’t going away too soon.

I’m in a good place, but I judge that many households hold too much debt, and that is or will be a worsening problem. Debt becomes a higher liability in a time of probable high interest rates. Locally I see a slow down already. Hard to see a mucho bright picture ahead for the economy. Either Trump or Biden will be bad.

This time with the grandson is rather precious. He is a good boy and is well behaved with us. Around his parents though he is a bit of a terror.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Of course selling and buying a house gets crazy fast, but then add in a relocation and new jobs.

Pretty much a hot mess/disaster for the parents of our grandkids. Boiling levels of stress, exacerbated by a timeline and a rush.

The school year begins early in the Carolinas. This makes sense because down there it is a more agricultural community. What a pressure cooker.

We are just making the best of things, but we know up a head will be a loss, mostly for the grandson who we have the strongest bond.

Of course the timeline is too tight and pretty much there is not enough time… The situation is not good…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Looks like a grandparent rescue plan will begin for the sake of a 21 month old and a ten year old. Also included are grown kids age 41 and 45.

Pretty much we might cover their mortgage to end the overlap of having to sell one house and buying another right after one another. Do people today ever just do one thing at a time? Anyways I at least try not to multitask, but today’s world is kinda insane.

Sadly, today the grandson did not want to go home with his mom. Kids understand more than you think or realize.

Some ground rules apply like one thing at a time, and slow down a bit.

I understand leaving New York. It is a corrupt place. The “Creature” is an Assistant Principle in Yonkers which is an insanely stressful job. The Creature’s husband is a special ed teacher and there is all this drama that does not play well with him, also in Yonkers. There are unions and some bad teachers with tenure…

Down south there is no tenure and the culture is mucho different. Of course the pay is about half…

Pretty much the chaos and anxiety that the parents deal with trickles down to the children. What a mess. These parents don’t have a very balanced life… Way too much stress and demands.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Don’t forget about the commercial real estate problem. About 2 trillion dollars worth of loans have to be rolled over before 2026. When will this time bomb explode? Banks’s will become underwater, but the FED thinks banks will not become underwater.

So one crisis wil eventually happen especially if interest rates stay high, but if interest rates are lowered inflation will get reignited. Heads you loose: tails you loose.

All I’m saying is there are some big risks out there, and either way the ending is bad.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The MRI indicates I may have Prostrate Cancer or I may not. I have some RAD-3 lesion that could be or might be, but then might not.

A biopsy of the Prostrate is not a pleasant experience. According to my Urologist 24 samples are taken. Pretty much under anesthesia. Ouch…

I have not spoken to my Urologist yet, but from our earlier consult this seems to be maybe where we are going. Some of the research though suggests that biopsies might not be the best way to proceed.

My friend Dave who is a little older than me had Prostrate Cancer about a decade ago. He had radioactive seeds implanted to kill the Cancer and no chemo to mess with his immune system. His dick still works… and every year he has to get checked and is closely monitored.

Aggressive Prostrate Cancers are not so common and most are slow growing. I’m at an age where pretty much it is a watch and wait. Also I’m at an age where the risks grow as I age. This is something I have to stay on top of anyways…

****************

I called my friend Dave. Evidently he had Prostrate Cancer 15 years ago. Pretty much he was in the 6-7-8 range where I’m in the 4-5 range in PSA.

Know that 5 is a threshold of sorts where PSA is considered high. Dave received no chemo and they used catheras to place radium seeds over a two day period. He had the Prostrate biopsy to map out a treatment program. Cancer free, but he still has to go in for an annual check up.

Pretty much Dave confirmed what I already knew.

Dave is a good friend who stored about a carload of amps and guitars at his house for over a decade when we downsized and lived in a 650 square foot apartment in Madhattan. Another carload of music equipment was stored at my friend Chris’s house. That too for over a decade.

If the Cancer grows outside of a sac that holds the prostrate it metastasizes in the bones and then it is deadly serious. Again most Prostrate Cancers are slow growing.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my Urologist and I’ll find out definitively where I stand.

My hospital is a branch of New York Columbia Presbyterian, so pretty much I have great healthcare. Another good thing is it is about 3 miles away. No need to go to NYC.

I’m not so anxious, but “Maggie” is Maggie…

Let’s see…

I found some steel saddles I’ve been looking for. On a guitar called “Woody” it is a somewhat dark sounding guitar because it has a rosewood neck and a heavy black korina body. Korina sounds a lot like mahogany, but has a bit more top end.

Pretty much I love bright guitars for the articulation and clarity. Woody has mucho midrange and sustain. In a ways it sounds like a Strat, but is a Tele with low output vintage pickups. Know that low output pickups generally have more treble, less midrange, and the bass can get a little thin, but the korina offers a vast midrange and mucho bottom.

My hope is that the steel saddles add in some treble and top end to balance the guitar better. It is kinda cool not needing a Strat. Woody has the “woof” of a Strat.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

NIH odds of RAD-3 being Cancer is between 26.8% and 14.6%

In another study 1 in 3 to 1 in 5 chance.

There is a lot of debate whether MRI is enough to monitor, or if a biopsie is the way to go.

With treatment survival rate grew from 20 years to 40. Pretty much one study suggested getting treatment early had the best outcome as far as longevity.

I know that they consider Cancer cured if a patient is Cancer free for 5 years. I also know that people that have had chemo also increased their risks of other Cancers. Pretty much Chemo messes with and somewhat compromises your immune system.

My friend Dave had no chemo.

I had a sister-in-law who had various Cancers over the decades, one led to another. Pretty much she did not have it in her to fight anymore. Her chemo weakened her.

I guess I have to make some decisions considering my likelihood for longevity.

Lots to consider tomorrow.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I was minding my own business when at a deli counter in a super market I met a woman who was taking out her 92 year old mother in law and her twin sister out shopping which she does each Friday.

No meds and no medical issues. No cane or walker and still sharp.

The rude thing was a pound of Boars Head roast beef $17.99 a pound.

My appointment is at 4:30 PM with my Urologist. I’m loosing some of my winter weight, but I have not been biking. Caught up in daycare again.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I will be doing some drug that helps shrink my prostrate. Usually a prostrate is about the size of a walnut, but mine is lemon sized. I was told that an enlarged prostrate can elevate PSA numbers. Pretty much an experiment that will last three months: a once a day drug; and then another PSA test.

Pretty much my Rad-2 and Rad 3 lesions are about a 17% chance of Cancer. My Urologist has some patients on a watch and wait in their 50’s as well as in their 80’s.

So my PSA might come in lower and pretty much the PSA of a 6 range would be a different story that would suggest a biopsy. If this experiment does not report a lower number in three months then pretty much a biopsy would be in order.

If treatment is needed there is a high dose radiation, a low dose radiation, and lastly prostrate removal.

So basically the next step is a baby-step towards maybe a biopsy. Let’s see.

They say a possible violent storm tonight. So far only very spotty rain that is light. I hear thunder…

Tomorrow I’ll be on a small power boat on the Hudson. I would like to visit AJ and pick up that Arrow Racing mud tire.

On the guitar I’m seeing the overlapping of notes that make scales in different keys. This requires lots of internalization. I’m not so far into it, but already lots of jumps are being made. Pretty much I’m jumping out of ruts I have been stuck in. A new degree of freedom is being learned. Very exciting, but it is hard work.

It has been a bit exhausting the worry about my health as well as taking care of the grandson. Some of his OCD behavior is due to the level of anxiety in his parent’s household. Don’t know if it will have a lasting impact, but he still is drawn to the guitar, and he is only 22 months old.

He seems to be eyeing my Tele’s…

Cal

 

[Austintatious]

Cal,
Is there a chance that the machine you kept running at the Hospital had a leak ?
My younger brother spent twenty some years working at the Los Alamos National Lab and had the same condition as you describe.
He opted for the injection of the pellets into his prostate and has been all good for a few years since the procedure was done.
Wishing you all the best my friend. 👍