Category: Aspiration

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The Cats of University Heights: Pango

One-eyed Warrior and this blackie playfully chased one another on May 22, 2026. I have seen neither since. Both stopped and rested under the same car. They could easily be a bonded pair, for there was no territorial tension between them,

I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/8, ISO 100, 1/500 sec, 400mm; 9:58 a.m. PDT. Nickname: Pango, which is Māori for black.

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They’re Here, But Where’s the Lanyard?

The mailman, whose last day delivering to my street is tomorrow, delivered not one but two golden tickets: Thursday and Sunday passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2026. The annual pulp media pilgrimage starts one month from today, July 23, and runs through the 26th. Additionally, the lucky—or the chosen—can attend Preview Night on the 22nd.

Thursday is official first day. Friday tends to be busier. Saturday often is busiest because of the masquerade ball that evening. You will see more cosplayers strutting about than on any other day. I call Sunday “family day”; locals predominantly fill the convention center. Meanwhile, the majority of celebrities have gone. (Should I say good riddance?)

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Godspeed, JB

This afternoon, as I walked along Mississippi Street, about a block-and-a-half South of El Cajon Blvd, a gentleman coming towards me wished a hearty “Happy Father’s Day!” He passed, I turned around, and I called, “Are you a dad??” So that I could return the sentiment. He isn’t one yet.

So, I asked how old he is. Thirty-one. He hopes to be a father someday, but he’s still single, and he is but six months into the current relationship; I heard hope in the man’s voice regarding the woman.

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Thoughtful Neko

Today, the portrait used to illustrate this 2021 post popped up in my photo memories from June 19, 2013. Well, where is one, what about another? Digging through an old external hard drive I found several and chose the Featured Image.

The photo is a reminder of what I liked and loathed about the Fujifilm FinePix X100, which I acquired in May 2011, soon after its launch availability. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 1000, 1/60 sec, 23mm (35mm film equivalent); 7:13 a.m. PDT. Composed as shot; unedited.

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The Great Escape, and Not the First Time

This morning my wife rang, unexpectedly. After a brisk morning of cooking, she had gone out for an unwinding walk. I stayed behind to clean up the kitchen and wash dishes. She called after coming upon a wayward rabbit. By fur color, this was a wild bunny. But another characteristic revealed a domesticated animal. Somebody’s pet.

When living in the Washington, DC area, our family owned two bunnies: Daisy and Mayflower. Both had floppy ears, which is not a trait exhibited in nature. As you can see from the Featured Image and companions, this rabbit has floppy ears, which are a product of domestication and selective breeding.

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Not His House, Your House

Say what you will about Donald Trump but the man knows how to throw a birthday party. His 80th brought the UFC Freedom 250 to the South Lawn of the White House. What a spectacle it was, last night.

For all the pomp, all the celebrity, and the testosterone, the White House itself emerged as a symbol of the Trump Presidency and secondary star of the fighting event. Americans don’t get to see inside the White House. It’s locked down so tight. But through the UFC event, Trump opened the building for everyone to see–unlike any president before him. His house is your house.

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Why My Facebook Handle Isn’t My Name

For nearly all of my publicly-facing online identities, my name is the handle. Consider, for example, Flickr and X, which I joined in October 2005 and December 2006 (when Twitter), respectively. I set up Facebook in October 2006, long before the service allowed anyone to choose a handle.

On June 13, 2009, at 12:01 a.m. EST, Facebook opened up the landgrab to claim a personalized username. That worked out to 9:01 p.m. on the 12th for we Westcoasters. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near a computer, waiting with our daughter for her flight from Long Beach, Calif. to one of three major Washington, D.C.-area airports (I don’t recall which).

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Getting Ready for the 250th

The United States of America’s 250th birthday is weeks away. But you wouldn’t have an itsy-bitsy inkling in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The measure of patriotism here is support for the next No Kings protests on June 14, 2026 or the number of paraded pride flags, which outnumber another symbol: Upside-down American flags.

So, tonight, I was delighted to pass this classic Craftsman decked out with American bunting decor and string lights. Finally, someone prepares for the Fourth of July—unless their objective is Flag Day on the Fourteenth.

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Too Good To Go

I install few apps on my phone or tablet, not trusting how intrusively nosey and tracking they can be. But a few exceptions are notable, one being Too Good to Go. The Wilcox family uses the app almost daily now, for finding good food made available at substantial discount.

The stuff might otherwise be trashed, particularly because of local regulations that restrict fresh, produced goods’ salability after set time period. Freshness is another consideration. Both could apply to baked goods, such as bagels or donuts. Over-production is an additional factor. Maybe the pizzeria has too many slices leftover at the end of day.