Category: Samsung

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 24, 20249:35 pm

Plaza Bonita’s Christmas Eve Surprise

Heavy morning fog giving way to drab drizzle defined Christmas Eve. My wife and I broke with our normal neighborhood walking protocol and headed off to one of San Diego’s few enclosed malls: Westfield Plaza Bonita. I wanted someplace for warming walking, and we hadn’t gone retail shopping anywhere really this season.

The shoppers were characteristically different from the locals where we live (University Heights). According to U.S. Census data, National City residents are about 66 percent Hispanic, 19.7 percent Asian, 8 percent White, and 4 percent Black. Around ultra-white UH, Hillcrest, and North Park, the population is older and more likely single or childless couples (straight and not). By contrast, Plaza Bonita bustled with families and teenagers. I swear that the average of people dropped 10 or 15 years. I love it! Hello, National City!

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 19, 20249:47 pm

Meet Nikon Zf

UPS delivered the Nikon Zf camera kit, with bundled f/4 40mm lens, and separately two others, on December 16, 2024. But, being busy bustling about other responsibilities, I didn’t break out the camera until last night. I want to share some quick first impressions.

The Zf is hefty in the hand, and the small hand grip makes for questionable balance—and I won’t assess that characteristic until spending more time with the thing in the field (I was supposed to also receive, for free, the Zf-GR1 Extension Grip, but it’s backordered). For that reason, I initially mounted the smallish kit lens—Zf 40mm (SE).

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 15, 20249:50 pm

Hotel Del Christmas Tree

Yesterday, I was invited to a luncheon with a group of people celebrating the 2024 Presidential Election. Venue: the historic, stately, and expensive Hotel Del Coronado. I hadn’t been there in years—and never in December. Wow, was the place packed with revelers local and visiting, loners and families, of every fashion.

One neighbor (and good friend) and I were the spendthrifts of the group. She asked if I would want to go halvsies on a meal. That works for me. She suggested a breakfast burrito. Great choice. When the thing was served, I cut off a piece and, after nibbling a bit, decided not to eat any. The tortilla was flaky and tasty and fancily unlike any burrito I ever ate. I thought my wife would love it (she did) and a waiter boxed up the largely uneaten meal. The thing cost $23 before tax and tip, which we split.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 13, 20248:43 pm

I Wouldn’t Live Here

On September 29, I asked: “Would You Want to Live Here?” regarding the new, ah, studio apartments converted from garages along the alley separating Alabama and Florida streets. One of the five units is still available, and it’s the lowest-cost rental here in University Heights: $1,295. Wow, what a bargain.

How much room do you need? The domicile provides a whole 180-square-feet of living space. You don’t mind sleeping on the floor, do you—or eating there—all Japanese style? But the big benefit is proximity to trash and recycle bins. You can practically open the window and drop in trash. The Featured Image shows what to expect. Don’t open the window or door. Oh, that smell!

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 4, 20248:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Red

What’s that saying about when it rains, it pours? This fine feline is the first shared since Oct. 20, 2024—and an enormous backlog is in the queue. So do expect this place becoming something of a cat blog for the foreseeable future. You’ve been informed; warned, if you prefer.

For today, meet Red, who my wife and I met with his owner on Nov. 27, 2024. Before the lady moved from rental to owned home, she kept Petri, who joined the series in January 2020. Amazingly, she stayed in the neighborhood, which was no easy feat during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 housing bubble, when local real estate prices ballooned at alarming speed.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 23, 202410:06 pm

The Little Pecker

For about a month, I have been trying to get a good shot of a woodpecker going at one of the palms overlooking our apartment building’s parking lot. Yesterday, Cali came running from the bedroom, where she had been blissfully sleeping in sunlight, into my office. She climbed onto the desk to look out the window. To see what? I hadn’t opened up the thing, so sound penetration was minimal.

She stared out at that wily woodpecker, and I marveled at her ears, because I could see the pecking but not hear it. I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, opened the camera app, set to 10x zoom, and shot the Featured Image through the glass (which could have been cleaner).

Living by Joe WilcoxNov 21, 202410:18 pm

Sore loser or Wishful Thinker?

More than two weeks after the November 5th election, emotions among my neighbors range from anger to disbelief to resistance (a polite way of saying revenge). I see more Harris-Walz signs on lawns than before Americans voted.

Lemme see, the five stages of grief are (correct me if mistaken): Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I would guess the majority of University Heights residents are stuck in the first two stages. Acceptance? You can forget that. Defiance is more likely, as the plethora of signs suggest.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 12, 202410:03 pm

I Vote for a Peaceful Transition

This day last week, America voted—and the results surprised many folks. For starters, we had a decisive winner before the cock crowed on the East Coast and before the midnight oil burned here on the West. Secondly, contrary to what many pollsters forecast, the contest was nothing close to neck-and-neck. Thirdly, Donald Trump trounced Kamala Harris—in the final count taking 312 electoral votes (270 to win), capturing majority of the popular vote (50.2 percent; 75.492 million), and taking all seven swing states.

Reaction is something to see. The President-elect’s supporters are giddy as kiddies on Christmas morning. Presents are open, wrapping paper is everywhere, and Santa delivered all the goodies on the list. Elsewhere, trauma is the drama. It’s criminal that left-leaning news organizations and pollsters misled so many Democrats and other Harris supporters for so long. Their mourning wouldn’t be so severe (out of politeness, I won’t link to any reactions but you can find them easily enough on TikTok).

Living by Joe WilcoxNov 5, 20247:25 am

It’s Election Day!

The most consequential Presidential contest in generations comes to a conclusion today, as anyone who didn’t vote early goes to the polls to cast his or her ballot.

The intrigue so is palatable, we could all be living a scripted movie. Consider the circumstances that removed Joe Biden as Democrats’ chosen candidate and propelled Kamala Harris to replace him—or the nearly successful assassination attempt of Donald Trump around the same time. What’s that saying about conspiracies and coincidences?

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 4, 20247:56 pm

Trip to Trump Country

Two days ago, my wife and I enjoyed a scenic, 56-km (36-mile) drive from San Diego to Ramona, Calif., where I underwent Stop the Bleed trauma training. In our neighborhood, Democrat-candidate-supporting signs are everywhere. We have seen one for Trump, inside a window where no one could tear it away.

But we saw several banners—one hoisted high above the highway—along the route to Ramona and an actual Trump Store on Main Street. Say what? Someone would either graffiti or torch the place if located in the Hillcrest-North Park-University Heights area. Around where we live, people who can’t stop talking about inclusion and tolerance are quick to exclude and exude intolerance towards Donald Trump, his MAGA-movement, and anything or anyone Republican.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 2, 20249:56 pm

Stop the Bleed

This morning, we drove 56 km (35 miles) to Ramona, where I received trauma training meant to Stop the Bleed when injury severs an artery. The official, instructor-led class lasted about 90 minutes. Kit Fox Outfitters’ co-owner provided hands-on learning as part of the curriculum.

I will practice the techniques taught today so that they become muscle memory. Familiarity could make the difference between life and death in the event of a bleeding emergency, where seconds matter and being flustered and slow-moving is unacceptable. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

Living by Joe WilcoxOct 31, 20249:26 pm

The Incident on Halloween

The two photos have absolutely nothing to do with the content of this post—other than timing: Halloween. I had already planned to use them, and nothing better is available for appropriate illustration.

For many adults and kids looking for a good candy haul or costume party, the day is trick rather than treat. Fast-moving canyon brushfire erupted, around 1:40 p.m. PDT today in College Area, which is a neighborhood that includes San Diego State University.