2016 Summer June 24 Friday

81 degrees this morning, Walk 35:30 min (estimate, watch  didn’t work)

The first time that I can remember a digital watch quit working before the battery went out. For some reason it won’t change to “stopwatch” mode (and I’m sure it’s not operator error!).  That is unusual for a watch to become defective in that way after about 10 months.  

For a $15 watch it has provided good service considering I have worn it walking, biking, swimming etc. although I am surprised it quit working in that way.  If the band had broken, the battery quit etc., I wouldn’t have been surprised.  

I frequently wonder how so many products that are basically good products (watches, clothes, some food, etc. can be sold for so little, relatively speaking.  

I think about the taxes I paid last year, the price of a “sit down” meal (or even a “fast food” meal anymore), certainly medical costs, any kind of service call etc., and the cost of “goods” is almost nothing in comparison.

That is true especially when you consider that many items can literally last forever, and even the cheapest (or most expensive) can last a long time.

In comparison to eating out, medical costs, cable tv etc. what it cost me for an excellent pair of walking shoes etc. is relatively speaking, nothing.  Even food in a grocery for most times is basically inexpensive.  

Even cars, I may be someone wrong, but I think cars used to cost about a years salary and last 60,000 miles, with a lot of maintenance costs.  Now a car costs cost less than  years salary (of course it varies), or less and last 200,000 miles with relatively few maintenance costs.  Again, obviously this is generally speaking,

Also, at least right now, interest cost  for cars and housing is relatively speaking,  almost insignificant compared to the 8% or so of a few years ago.  Of course that could change fast.

On the other hand, the cost of any kind of service is almost prohibitive, and certainly medical costs etc. have no basis to reality.  

The vote in England was kind of a shock.  Makes me wish I had following my original instinct and sold all the stocks in my retirement plan and converted to a money-market fund.  Of course, you never really know what is right and what isn’t.

Sitting out on the patio, enjoying the breeze and the sounds of the wind through the trees.  As I have mentioned before, it is actually  cool (but  a “good” cool, not an unpleasant cool) here in the morning.  

I’m not really sure where time goes.  It seems I am always busy and  not getting everything done that needs to be done.