No Argument from Me

The old filter (right) and its replacement.

We hadn't visited our friend in the Central Valley for 1½ years, i.e., since the beginning of the pandemic.

After the usual pleasantries and catching up, I offered to change the furnace filter, which task involves climbing a ladder. Perhaps there's an engineering advantage to placing the intake on the ceiling of the second floor, but IMHO this HVAC system was poorly designed for humans.

The filter had turned black, the residue of two summers of wildfires. Our friend texted back later tonight and said the air was much "fresher."

Perhaps her feelings were colored by the above picture, but if the good feeling raises another person's opinion of me, I'm not going to argue.

A Bit of His Strut

For at least a decade feral chickens have been annoying Oahu residents. Despite programs to capture them, the problem persists.

One reason Honolulu found it difficult to capture feral chickens was because they would run from city property to state or private property where city-paid staffers aren’t authorized to enter

In the Market City shopping center earlier this month, one bird was the cock of the walk, having no fear of humans or cars.

Back in the 1950's Honolulans would buy chickens live and slaughter them in their back yards. If only a few people still did that, that rooster might lose a bit of his strut.

Get the Answers Before It's An Emergency

My brother in Orange County and I take turns flying to Hawaii to visit Mom.

In October he put in some new plants by the front walkway.

When it came time to water the plants, none of the four nearby valves and spigots worked.

In response to a text for help, one of my kamaaina brothers answered that I had to turn on the master shut-off valve next to the pond by the back door.

My father had installed the pipes decades ago.

I grew up here, and I didn't know how something as basic as the irrigation system worked.

What else don't I know?

I only hope that the next time I need to figure out something it's not during an emergency.

Return of the Greedy Corporation....Excuses

Gerald Ford's pleas to Whip Inflation Now failed,
as did his 1976 election campaign. (Ad Age)

As predictable as the sun rising in the East, Democrats are blaming inflation on corporate greed.

White House officials said Mr. Biden would continue publicly calling out industries that he believes are raking in large profits while raising prices for consumers, amid calls from some of Mr. Biden’s outside advisers to respond aggressively to inflation to counter mounting criticism from Republicans.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren adds her two cents:

Wondering why your Thanksgiving groceries cost more this year? It’s because greedy corporations are charging Americans extra just to keep their stock prices high. This is outrageous.

Through the Bush, Obama, and Trump Administrations inflation ranged between negative 0.4% and 3.8%. For the past several months inflation has run above 5%. [bold added]

The Labor Department said the consumer-price index—which measures what consumers pay for goods and services—increased in October by 6.2% from a year ago. That was the fastest 12-month pace since 1990 and the fifth straight month of inflation above 5%.

The core price index, which excludes the often-volatile categories of food and energy, climbed 4.6% in October from a year earlier, higher than September’s 4% rise and the largest increase since 1991.

(GIF from rebloggy)

Not only have "greedy corporations" failed to raise prices significantly for the previous 20 years, boardroom avarice has been dampened by the growing emphasis on "stakeholder capitalism" and Environmental, Social, and Governance goals. In my humble opinion--and I'm no economist--business is not to blame for high prices.

And inflation is not the fault of the government, as those in charge of government have said.

It's truly a puzzlement.

Turkey Day, 2021

It's been 40+ years of trial and error, and it bore fruit in yesterday's turkey.

Think of all the possibilities:

Fresh or frozen?

With stuffing or without?

Turn the bird?

Wrap the turkey in foil?

Change the temperature during roasting?

Brine beforehand?

Rub with spices and/or oil?

Three hard-to-make side dishes were store-bought.

Each of the above in turn has many options. Stuffing recipes are innumerable, temperature adjustments can be high to low or vice versa, how long before turning the turkey over, if at all, etc.

My wife's late aunt had a reliable method for keeping the meat moist---cover the turkey with a wet paper shopping bag, replacing it every hour as it dried out. We stopped using that technique when supermarkets switched from paper to plastic.

Here's the 2021 recipe. On Tuesday wash the fresh turkey, pat dry, and season all over. (I used salt, pepper, and garlic.) Leave uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to cook. On Wednesday evening rub with butter and roast in oven, breast-side down, at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn the bird and roast at 400 for 20 minutes. Pour 2 cups wine or apple cider over bird. Adjust the temperature down to 170 degrees and roast for 12-20 hours until inner thigh temperature reads at least 160 degrees. Baste if skin appears dry (I only did this once). After removing turkey from oven, allow at least 30 minutes before carving.

My limit was one plate plus a second helping of turkey.

I had to save room for the pumpkin pie.

I hope you and your loved ones had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Yakiniku Korea House

Later today we'll have November's biggest meal, but I can already say that the best meal I had this month was at the Yakiniku Korea House in Honolulu. Yakiniku restaurants are popular not only because meat cooked on a hot grill is always delicious but also because it's fun cooking together.

We ordered two platters at $70 each for our party of eight. Together with rice, condiments and dipping sauces, the beef and pork belly unleashed the inner carnivore.

Beef and pork belly (Yelp photo)

The meal was a blast, literally, because the steam and smoke were so intense that the waiter had to lower the exhaust pipe to eye level.

Dinner companions asked if we should order more. In my salad days (when I ate much less salad, btw) I would have readily assented, but (sigh) not for me, I answered.

My birthday was earlier this month, so my brothers paid for everything. Like I said, the best meal this month.

We Won't Be Starving

Last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers could find everything in stock at Costco today.

In fact there's a surfeit, glut, abundance, plethora and every other synonym for surplus, of turkeys at 99 cents a pound.

I meant to buy a 12-pounder last Friday but only a 20-pound bird was in the display. Spooked by reports of food shortages, I grabbed the tom.

It does not require a crystal ball to envision lots of turkey a la king and turkey sandwiches in the near future.

Just in Time

The recent upward blip in interest rates resulted in Citibank adding 8 cents, more than double the usual, to my largely inactive savings account.

It was just in time for Christmas shopping.

As the saying goes, I'll try not to spend it all in one place.

The Central Valley is Looking Better and Better

WSJ illustration: blue dots show where Bay
Area ex-residents are resettling.

In April we commented on a Chronicle editorial that decried the migration from the coasts to Central California. The Chronicle declared the growth of the suburbs "unsustainable", which struck us as wishful thinking:

No, Progressives, your scare tactics won't work ("drought","fire country"), not to mention your sniffing at the plebes ("sprawl", "unsustainable"). And what's with the suburbs fostering climate change? Sacramento, which you control, has ordered us all into electric cars in a few years, so transportation won't be a source of bogeyman carbon.

It's your emptying cities which frighten us with homeless encampments, rampant burglary, drugs, usurious rents, filthy mass-transit, filthy streets, and labyrinthine regulations, which all come with extra taxes for the privilege of living and working in your precious highrises.

Six months later the trend shows no signs of abating. WSJ: Californians Flee the Coast to Inland Cities in a Mass Pandemic-Era Exodus

The pandemic boosted the flow of households from California’s coastal counties to other parts by nearly 50%, postal data show.

A net 97,000 households left the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and the San Francisco metro area lost about 67,000. The city of San Francisco lost a net of 44,000 households last year, about one-eighth of its total. Many from the city settled in the Sacramento metro area, about 90 miles northeast.

In Southern California, the center of the state’s shift, the Inland Empire had a net gain of 25,000 households last year, according to the postal data. That figure doesn’t count immigration, a longtime source of new Californians.

Roseville, near Sacramento, has some nice stores
but I doubt they'll be hit: too many guns and
Republicans, and the people support the police.

As if to put an exclamation point on the pay-more-get-less life by the Bay, organized smash-and-grab gangs attacked pricey stores in multiple cities the past weekend.

“It was a wild weekend,” (Alameda County Sergeant Ray] Kelly said, referring to sprees in Hayward, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco, where roving bands of thieves swarmed into stores, grabbed as much merchandise as they could carry and escaped in getaway cars.

In Oakland the caravans grew particularly violent, as police encountered hundreds of drivers roaming the city on Friday, seeking out cannabis businesses for attempted theft, authorities said.

And why should the gangs worry? Property theft less than $950 is only a misdemeanor, so hardly any victim bothers reporting it. And if you're unlucky or stupid enough to get caught, San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin ended cash bail for all criminal cases, so criminals will be out in no time.

This weekend, for the first time in two years, I'll be visiting the Sacramento area, where life seems more civilized.

The Central Valley is looking better and better.

Around the Ala Wai

The Ala Wai Golf Course

Two Fridays ago our part of the city was in the high 70's with a light breeze, cool by Honolulu standards. It was a perfect morning to walk around the neighborhood.

Reality: the Waikiki Library was smaller than I remembered.

The Ala Wai golf course is an almost totally flat public course ideal for beginners and oldsters. Constructed in 1931 on the mauka side of Ala Wai Canal, it could never be built today given the price of Waikiki real estate.

Near the southern end of the golf course is the Waikiki Library, where I occasionally did my homework. Before there were computerized databases, one could sometimes find a book that had been checked out of the Main Branch downtown.

The Ala Wai Canal was looking especially fine. Sometimes the air hangs heavy and the water stagnates, but not today. The final two mile straightaway went quickly, and I was home in time to pick up lunch for Mom.

Old Times Sake

On Tuesday I put on the standard-issue wired headphones (see following post) and embarked on a 4-mile stroll around Ala Moana.

Skipping Waikiki, I walked past the boats in the Ala Wai harbor and dreamt briefly of the benefits and costs of owning one. Nope, not even if I had the money.

View of Diamond Head from Magic Island.

For old times' sake, I took the loop around Magic Island. My father would often walk the path while I, going a little faster, would circumnavigate Ala Moana Beach Park.

We would meet at the car, then drive across the street to the shopping center and relax with a coffee at the Food Court.

The Food Court in the COVID era has been stripped of half its furniture, and Dad would not have found it as inviting.

Across Kapiolani Boulevard was Don Quijote. I was refreshed by the air conditioning inside but didn't buy anything, not being inclined to walk the final mile carrying a bag of groceries.

The traffic was much heavier than when I was a kid, but now there are four more stop lights along the way to make the crosswalks less hazardous. In 20 minutes I was home.

Before It Was Cool

iPhone + factory headphones

Inexpensive, old-fashioned, hard-wired headphones are cool:

Fashionable young celebrities including Bella Hadid, Lily-Rose Depp and Zoë Kravitz have been photographed strutting around town with blatantly corded headphones...Apple corded headphones go for just $19, and those from other brands can cost even less. For disorganized types, corded headphones are easier to keep track of and needn’t be charged. Plus, some folks have vague, pseudo-scientific objections to “radiation” that they associate with wireless pods.

I've had wireless pods fall out of my ear on the street and in bathrooms, and what happened next prevented me from wearing them again...'nuff said about that. The corded buds also drop out but don't reach the ground.

And there's no worrying about bluetooth radiation, which scientists say is harmless, but scientists have been known to change their minds.

I switched off the AirPods when the airlines were adamant about turning off wireless transmissions from all devices. Not having to worry about earpieces running out of juice during a five-hour flight is an under-appreciated benefit of wired headphones, and I continued to use them even after AirPods were permitted to be used during flights.

Choosing what best works for you, and not trying to catch up with a trend, makes for a happier life.

Zillow, (Dis) Continued

(Photo from Star Tribune)/td>

Last week we opined that Zillow's house-flipping business failed because it placed too much faith in its computerized decision-making programs:

The algorithm needed to incorporate additional data--the kind of data that's hard to obtain--and Zillow needed to test the program on a much smaller scale before it bet the farm. They had the courage to pull the plug before it took down the company, and it's likely they'll be back some day, probably with a "money" partner that will provide the risk capital while Zillow provided the smarts.

A WSJ follow-up story confirms that the algorithm failed to take into account market nuances and adds that these flaws were exacerbated by the rapid shifts--both up and down--in real estate markets brought on by COVID-19: [bold added]

Computer-driven analysis has become mainstream in stock and bond markets, but buying and selling single-family homes has proved a trickier proposition. The real-estate market varies widely by city, region and type of property, with a range of aesthetic, social and other factors playing into Americans’ home-buying decisions.

Zillow also overstretched its staff as it tried to catch up to competitors and disregarded internal concerns that it was overpaying for homes, according to former and current employees. It operated in an unpredictable housing market, with the pandemic fallout helping to spark the biggest housing boom in a generation. And Zillow suffered from supply-chain and labor issues that slowed its ability to renovate homes quickly...

An unexpected surge in home prices and sales during the pandemic made it harder to predict the market. Buyers began giving priority to space and location in unusual ways.

“That shift in buyer preferences is extremely hard for a machine-learning model to incorporate,” said Dave Meyer, vice president of data and analytics at BiggerPockets, a real-estate investing website.

The final nail in the coffin was trying to catch up to the competition just as the market was turning:

Zillow put together a plan to speed up the pace and volume of home purchases, dubbing it Project Ketchup—which employees took as a play on the team’s mission to catch up to Opendoor. Zillow planned to buy more homes by spending more money, offering prices well above what its algorithm and analysts picked as market value, people familiar with the matter said.

In the second quarter, Zillow Offers bought more than 3,800 homes—more than double the previous quarter. In the third quarter, it bought 9,680 homes. The company was buying so many homes that its overstretched staff started running behind on closings and renovations, people familiar with the matter said.

It struggled to find contractors and renovation materials amid a broader labor and supply shortage. That meant Zillow was in danger of sitting on homes for longer, adding to insurance and debt bills. It also meant many homes bought during the summer would likely have to be sold in the winter, when the housing market is usually weaker.

As for damage to the overall company,

The company’s market cap, which closed at a peak of $48.35 billion in February, is now around $16 billion.

Their misguided efforts to improve matters led to a disaster in less than a year. Fortunately Zillow had the courage to face up to its mistake and change course before it lost everything.

Keeping Her Safe from Spam Musubi

Mom's assisted living facility serves healthy, balanced meals chopped fine to reduce the risk of choking in the elderly residents.

They do permit outside food to be brought in (we do cut it up, but not as granularly as the facility), so I picked up Hawaiian food for her lunch and dinner.

Impulsively I grabbed a spam musubi for her afternoon snack.

It was only later, as I was cutting and sorting the food into containers, that I noticed that the spam musubi should be consumed by 1 p.m. and could not be used for her snack.

Without hesitation I ate it. Anything to keep her safe.

Diamond Head at Dusk

When I was 8 years old, I did a lot of walking. Back then it was to pocket the 10 cents(!) that my parents gave me for bus fare.

Now I walk primarily for the benefits of exercise. Within a 2-mile radius of the old homestead there are many sites (sights?) I had never seen, including this view of Diamond Head from Ft. DeRussy beach.