I am in the process of changing laptops, which makes me short on time and also reviewing older photos as files transfer or archive. The Featured Image is one of them, captured on Aug. 1, 2017.
With time, I tend to forget what was captured where. But I remember this plant cage, because it was so unusual. I also chose not to share the shot, because you can’t really make out enough of the greenery growing inside. But tonight, with an applied filter to add some character, here you are.
A common misconception about inflation is that prices go up, when in reality the value of money (e.g. spending power) goes down. The Economist explains the classic case: In late-1923 Germany, when, because of hyperinflation, “a loaf of bread cost 140 billion marks. Workers were paid twice a day, and given half-hour breaks to rush to the shops with their satchels, suitcases, or wheelbarrow, to buy something, anything, before their paper money halved in value yet again”.
I got a taste, quite literally, of what this phenomenon is like, and I present it as a demonstrative model for your education. Pizza Hut gives so-called “Hut Rewards” points for redeeming menu items. I had accumulated just more than 600. Large pizzas with any toppings are 300 points, so I had gained enough for two free pies.
The price of gasoline at this Shell station (formerly Valero) is typically mid-range for the area; not the highest and by no means lowest. Less than two weeks ago, price at the pump was $4.30 per gallon. A few days ago, I paid $4.90. Now it’s $5.70.
Can you say, “Iran war?” Because that’s what is surely behind these rising prices that have yet to reach their ceiling. Americans will be impacted everywhere, from cost for fuel oil to gasoline, for starters, and rising costs of anything transported by air, land, or sea.
I regard Meade and Mississippi as the most dangerous intersection in the village of University Heights. Countless car crashes occur with too much frequency there. My speculation: Cause has something to do with human nature related to impatience. Drivers go from Monroe to Mission, which is a short block to Meade. If driving from Adams to Madison, there is yet another stop sign. They’re ready to go and tired of stopping at every intersection..
Meanwhile, on either side of Mississippi are traffic circles along Meade at Alabama and Louisiana. Traffic slows, and drivers are sometimes—if not often—confused about right of way. Many of them speed up as they approach Mississippi, where antsy drivers wait to enter an intersection where oncoming traffic may move more brisky than anticipated—and from two directions, simultaneously.
I don’t showcase Google Pixel 10 Pro XL often enough. That demands remedy. So, tonight, I took the smartphone out onto one of the streets here in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights for a quick go: Four shots of various compositions, and the first is the Featured Image. One capture could have been enough.
Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 34, 1/13 sec, 24mm (film equivalent); 8:01 p.m. PST. I had to hold the phone high over my head (look at the shadow), which risked camera shake blur. But the photo—automatically captured in Night Sight mode—is sharp enough.
Oddly, we are not done with cats. Unexpectedly, once again, the topic turns to fancy litter boxes on sale at Costco. In October 2025, the product was a robotic pooper scooper on sale for 599.99 (one-hundred bucks off).
By comparison, the new offering is a bargain.: $389.99. The Featured Image is clear: Your cat can be king (or queen) of the throne, and you can monitor the animal’s health progress based on its, ah, business. Ah, okay. For our cat family, no thanks.
T Village of University Heights is undoubtedly a liberal haven—or at least for those who demand to be heard. For all I know (and don’t), Republicans might outnumber Democrats, but you’d never know from the cacophony the liberals make. Their numbers matter less than who makes more demands. They’re a noisy group for sure.
Several overly-liberal areas stand out from others in the neighborhood. Shirley Ann is one street. Panorama Drive is another. Slogan signage tends to be loudest there. Take the Featured Image as an example. (Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 50, 1/200 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 9:27 a.m. PST, today; Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.)
Times can come when 10x zoom capability is quite handy on a smartphone. That would be the case with the Featured Image, which was captured day-before-yesterday using Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/250 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 12:12 p.m. PST.
The photo is surprisingly sharp, considering use of hardware capability combined with software magic (what else would you call it) to simulate the zoom range. Please feel free to pixel peep this one.
What exactly does the kid study? “Possessions 101?” “Exorcism Survival?” “Advanced Haunting?” “Geometry of Poltergeists?” “Multiplication of Spiritual Influences?” “Intermediate Demonology?” Does Honor Roll mean the student must be bad to be good? I can understand parents being proud of their do-gooders in Heaven. But Hell? Breakout your goth gear and tattoos.
Today, I happened upon the bumper sticker while walking along Louisiana Street in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The Featured Image comes from Galaxy S25 Ultra, hours after Samsung announced successor S26 Ultra. Preorders can be placed now for the official launch on March 11, 2025.
Signs like the one in the Featured Image are sporadically appearing on lawns across my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. “Don’t poke the bear” at one time applied to Soviet Russia, which if provoked too aggressively could respond by unleashing nuclear weapons.
There’s an appropriateness to its use to describe Communist California. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has aspirations about being the Democrats’ 2028 Presidential candidate, has gone wild with his response to policies advocated by the Donald Trump White House.
A series of squatter fires has culminated in the near destruction of the last house among the derelict cottages located on Georgia Street across from Kindred Hospital. In June 2021, Georgy joined my “Cats of University Heights” series. She lived with her owners in one of the residences—before being rehomed, following their renoviction.
Later becoming what I called squatter villas, the buildings burned partially here and there over the course of several years. Yesterday morning, another fire gutted the front building that had been the most intact. Presumably, homeless folk seeking to stay warm or cook food started all the blazes.
You choose. Is it the law of unintended consequences or some adult’s backhanded commentary? Take a long, hard look at the Featured Image—enlarge it! That is a skeleton selling Girl Scout Cookies.
One purposeful or unintended interpretation: The Girl Scouts are dead. Several scandals have tarnished the image, as have accusations against the cookies. For sure, someone could argue that Girl Scouts is dead to what it was.