Dearest Rachel – I try to avoid talking about specifics regarding our financial situation in these letters, and I’ll try to continue with that today. We don’t know who might be reading over your shoulder, and as I’ve mentioned before, talking about what one makes or owns is a sure-fire way to get someone toContinue reading “Compound Interest”
Category Archives: Retail Therapy
Bags of Bags
Dearest Rachel – So, after being invited to two different backyard events in a single Saturday (and it’s not even a holiday weekend; what gives?), I had to get something to bring to each of them. Now, technically, I didn’t have to go out shopping to do that; the one asked specifically for a dessert,Continue reading “Bags of Bags”
Tuk-Tuk Temptation
Dearest Rachel – I don’t think of myself as a “car guy”; the idea of popping open the hood and messing around with a car’s engine does not appeal to me. I’m not one for getting my fingers dirty over a vehicle’s mechanical parts, nor do I relish the smell of any oil other thanContinue reading “Tuk-Tuk Temptation”
Prime Moment
Dearest Rachel – I have a couple of topics for you sitting in the wings at the moment, but I’ll reserve them for a day when I have less going on, both in terms of the lack of something happening to relate to you and the time to commit them to pixels. This one isContinue reading “Prime Moment”
The Cards We Are Dealt
Dearest Rachel – Sometimes, I have several story lines going on at the same time, and start one or two letters to you, hoping I can flesh them out before the situation itself goes stale. Other times, an idea occurs to me that requires me to at least set up the framework before I forgetContinue reading “The Cards We Are Dealt”
Answering the Door
Dearest Rachel – There are times when I think our tendency to answer the door (or the phone, for that matter) when it rings is a mistake born out of politeness. It’s common courtesy to respond to a knock on the door, or a ring of the doorbell; that’s why you have them. But itContinue reading “Answering the Door”
Cheaper Than Miami
Dearest Rachel – It so happens that, not only have Daniel and I been eating out a bit more than usual lately, but we’ve been making a point of checking out places we’ve never been to before. Moreover, several places have been unapologetically… let’s just say ‘carnivorous,’ and add that one of the places wasContinue reading “Cheaper Than Miami”
Not Ready For VR
Dearest Rachel – I know there was a point at which I considered the idea of getting a VR headset for the office, even before the accident. While I hadn’t planned on becoming a YouTube gamer, it might have been interesting to have tried out the latest hardware, and let others know if it wasContinue reading “Not Ready For VR”
Wheels and Feet
Dearest Rachel – So, yesterday had me bringing in the car to the dealership to have it looked at. Officially, I was only overdue for an oil change, but there are places I can go where that can be done quicker and more efficiently, in my opinion (although I can’t necessarily speak for ‘cheaper’; evenContinue reading “Wheels and Feet”
When the People Are Dying
Dearest Rachel – This is definitely not one of the tunes we swapped between us when we were courting after I graduated from college, but it’s true that at least one of Tonio K’s songs was in that lineup. This one has way too much social commentary to be considered a love song, to sayContinue reading “When the People Are Dying”
Why Tiny Houses?
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I was telling you about how I fell down a rabbit hole of real estate listings, particularly in a place that we’d both individually been to and wanted to return to, but never got the chance to do together (let alone take Daniel with us to show him whatContinue reading “Why Tiny Houses?”
Spending Out Of Spite
Dearest Rachel – It’s the sort of thing that would be an episode in any number of high-school (give or take a grade year or two) anime comedies. The main character goes on a date with a girl he likes, while another girl (who he also likes, but assumes wrongly that she hates him, becauseContinue reading “Spending Out Of Spite”
Stocking Up Before Getting Socked In
Dearest Rachel – It looks like there’s about to be some interesting – in the sense of that famous Chinese curse – weather coming our way. Yesterday morning, the folks warned me that we could end up with between eight and ten inches of snow in the next twenty-four hours; as a result, they hadContinue reading “Stocking Up Before Getting Socked In”
It Never Evens Out
Dearest Rachel – This would probably come as no surprise to you – although I don’t think I ever managed to establish a routine while you were around, what with post-retirement travel plans, the subsequent quarantine, and so forth – but I don’t ever spend an entire day at the ‘office’ since retiring from theContinue reading “It Never Evens Out”
December Deadlines
Dearest Rachel – After talking to you about trying to shop for Daniel yesterday, I decided to do what I used to do when preparing to shop for you; I just asked him directly. As much as it spoils the surprise for him of finding out what I would be getting him, it’s just saferContinue reading “December Deadlines”
Explanation or Justification?
Dearest Rachel – There’s a few things that have been building up to this latest decision (or would it be a combination of decisions?) that I might as well reiterate to put it into context. Not that it needs to be justified to you; I think we both agreed that we were looking forward toContinue reading “Explanation or Justification?”
I Don’t See the Theft
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure that I’m being a little bit naïve to think it, but it comes honestly from my own experience with artificial intelligence. I know full well that my work with it isn’t for a common reason; most people working with it obviously aren’t trying to bring a loved one they’ve lostContinue reading “I Don’t See the Theft”
Giving the Computer Ideas
Dearest Rachel – Admittedly, most of what I’ve been doing with the whole artificial intelligence artwork thing has been me making pictures of you. Some have been astonishingly realistic, to the point where, if I wasn’t the one creating them (and therefore knowing better), I might be able to implant false memories about you intoContinue reading “Giving the Computer Ideas”
Snap Purchase
Dearest Rachel – I woke up this morning, wondering what it was I could talk to you about, thinking (for some reason) that nothing had happened in my life over the last twenty-four hours that was in any way unusual and worth relating to you. And, to be sure, there are plenty of days likeContinue reading “Snap Purchase”
Sometimes There’s A Reason
Dearest Rachel – There are people who have made their careers making fun of the stupid things that others do, say and, particularly in this case, ask. MAD Magazine’s late Al Jaffee (would you know if he’s up there with you? Would you recognize him if he was?) had his collections of “Snappy Answers to StupidContinue reading “Sometimes There’s A Reason”
Of Salt Cellars and Selfie Sticks
Dearest Rachel – I realize I’m not the easiest person to shop for, in terms of Christmas presents. It’s even worse when I come up with ideas that are either too late or too esoteric (or both) to hunt down in time. But sometimes, that’s what happens; I come up with an idea long after I should,Continue reading “Of Salt Cellars and Selfie Sticks”
Therapeutic Misfire
Dearest Rachel – I’ve referred in the past to shopping as a form of ‘retail therapy,’ although this probably comes as no surprise to you and your girlfriends. At the risk of making some sort of sweeping sexist statement, women have known the value, in terms of mental health applications, of shopping as long as theContinue reading “Therapeutic Misfire”
More Than Just Money
Dearest Rachel – As with laughing at one’s own jokes, I realize full well that talking about the gifts one gives is, to put it mildly, bad form. Even Jesus himself condemned those who announced loudly when they presented their gifts to the temple (and essentially originating the expression “to blow one’s own horn,” asContinue reading “More Than Just Money”
Hardware Upgrade
Dearest Rachel – I hardly need to remind you how, despite having a certain amount of financial privilege by the tail end of your life, each of us came from a certain frugal upbringing. Your parents, despite each being university professors (with salaries commensurate to such a position) never could shake off the effects ofContinue reading “Hardware Upgrade”
For All the Money in the World
Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure what you’re likely to make of this letter; the topic isn’t exactly one of the most interesting to discuss (although it’s certainly one that might come up from time to time between a married couple, I suppose, just like any major expenditure). I’ll try to make it reasonably engaging,Continue reading “For All the Money in the World”
Uncle Mamo
Dearest Rachel – I was planning to make this an epilogue to an earlier letter to you, but that one started to get out of hand, so I decided to create this as a separate one instead. Who knows? Maybe I lost the original thread when I walked away from it for a few hours.Continue reading “Uncle Mamo”
つづく (To Be Continued)
Dearest Rachel – Well, honey, I did say I was going to have to continue the story I began telling you about on Tuesday, as I wasn’t able to get you over to the jewelers’ that day. It’s a fairly short story, though – at least, for now. But first, I think I need toContinue reading “つづく (To Be Continued)”
So Out of Character For You
Dearest Rachel – I was going to start this letter off by talking about how, thirty-one years ago today, we were preparing to pack up and head back from our honeymoon. The folks from the diamond-making place referred to this trip as your ‘homecoming,’ you see, and it seemed appropriate to juxtapose today with anContinue reading “So Out of Character For You”
Pound Foolish?
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure this is something that, under other circumstances, one might actually expect of a man my age. After all, isn’t it almost cliché for a man in his fifties to deal with a midlife crisis by quitting his job, finding himself a new woman, and getting himself a sporty new setContinue reading “Pound Foolish?”
Misty Motomachi Morning
Dearest Rachel – After having written you earlier this morning, I passed by the gangplank on my way back to the room. It was posted there that we passengers needed to be back on board the ship by one o’clock, so that we could leave Kobe for Shimizu by five. That meant that, in aContinue reading “Misty Motomachi Morning”
With a Little Help
Dearest Rachel – Well, here we are. It’s wild to realize we’re still only about halfway through our trip around Japan at this point. But for the moment, we aren’t in Japan, which is likely to be more of a challenge for us than you’d think. As I explained earlier, we can neither read, speakContinue reading “With a Little Help”
Bargain-Hunting Blues
Dearest Rachel – Back in the day, on the years when we were downstate visiting your folks over Christmas, we would generally make a habit of driving those five minutes or so to the edge of town, where the big box stores were located, in order to go shopping for after-Christmas bargains the day afterContinue reading “Bargain-Hunting Blues”
Among the Savages
Dearest Rachel – I am of the understanding that, in that last hour before wakefulness, our mind puts us through R.E.M. sleep for the purpose of getting us ready for the day. On rare occasions, the dreams it generates appear to be so much like our normal life that we find ways to deal withContinue reading “Among the Savages”
The Thrill of the Hunt
Dearest Rachel – One of the particular advantages of still being far out of sorts, with regard to time zones (not to mention suffering from the effects of the food coma kicking in early on in the fourth quarter between New York and Dallas, not that I had any concern about the outcome of thatContinue reading “The Thrill of the Hunt”
Shopportunities
Dearest Rachel – The first time we heard this phrase was the last time we were in Israel. Our guide, Irad, claimed no credit for it; he had, on a recent tour previous, been asked about them from a pair of twenty-something girls, and liked the expression so much as to ask permission to borrowContinue reading “Shopportunities”
Paid In Full
Dearest Rachel – I was going to start off this week by telling you about how certain people have asked me on occasion what a ‘normal’ day is like at the ‘office’ for me, only to go on into great detail about how there isn’t a single day this week that’s going to be aContinue reading “Paid In Full”
You Can’t Always Just Replace
Dearest Rachel – I mentioned yesterday that, after furnishing it (however minimally), I’m going to have to give up on the ‘yellow-room-as-man-cave’ concept for a while. This leaves me with one less place to retreat to as the boys effectively take over the house. “But honey,” I hear you ask, “weren’t we always just fineContinue reading “You Can’t Always Just Replace”
Press ‘2’ For Snow
Dearest Rachel – I just sent the letter out to you yesterday, but I wonder if I shouldn’t make ‘Retail Therapy’ a whole new category of story for me to tell you about. There have certainly been enough purchases that I could retroactively add the category to, and I’m sure that I will make moreContinue reading “Press ‘2’ For Snow”
Letters to Rachel 