Time Flies When…

Cannot believe my site is still up and running nearly 27 years later, a domain name I secured in 1999, to be used in computer gaming. Lots of archived posts and audio from years gone by. Never one to shy away from speaking what was on my mind, you can see I have jumped on a variety of topics over the years, the most recent was my attempts to get back onto a “protective diet,” the Whole Foods, plant based lifestyle that saw my shed nearly 50 pounds and put me in some of the best shape of my life. Such good shape I started running ultra marathons. You can read about those too, grueling but a great experience.

Now, April, 2026 life has settled down, as I retired on Halloween, 2026 and got to spend time haunt with my with girlfriend and son in Paso. Decorated the house and donned my Art the Clown costume. First time in 5 years I was able to spend Halloween with them and decided that family was more important than work, regardless of what my employer was paying me. Retirement has been… challenging to say the least. The dance between BART, CalPERS, BlueShield of CA and the John Muir Network has my head spinning. The red tape and bullshit from CalPERS has cause major problems, to the point I have yet to receive a pension check and my health/insurance benefits were suspended because of “community property” issues. Never get a divorce in California, you will end up getting fucked!

Retirement has allowed me time to start getting the house updated, starting with the jungle of a backyard that we could never get under control. This year, it got an entire upgrade, as weeds were removed, existing bushes and trees were cut back and the garden began its transformation. The previous years we had grown veggies in three 4’x8′ raised planters and I added two new planter boxes this year. Our lemon tree was a new addition last year and has already beared fruit this growing season. Still waiting for the apricot and peach tree to catch up. Tomatoes grown like crazy in Paso Robles, so we have three varieties, thankfully they have tall, strong cages built around them to keep them under control. Many of the typical veggies: cucumbers, zucchini, artichokes, garlic, onion, scallions, Swiss chard, arugula, thyme, dill, basil, five varieties of peppers, two grape vines (Terrot Noir and Picardin), and three hop rhizomes (Cascade, Columbus, Nugget). To finish the backyard we also built a small fire pit, thanks in part to Blue Sky Outdoor Living, the American company I use to purchase the 36″ smokeless fire pit ring.

Now in retirement mode, it’s unfortunate the world is going to shit and cost of living prices, along with gas and aviation fuel continue to rise. While we haven’t completely written off international travel for the year, plans are on hold. After spending time in Belize the last two years, we were (are) still looking to see more of the county, especially the northern part that borders Mexico and the western that borders Guatemala. Of course the airlines as passing the increase in avgas on to the public, with increases of $400-$5000 for ticket prices and now they are increasing bag fees. WTF? Do you really think that will offset the cost of fuel? I don’t.

What will become of The 6th Floor going forward? I don’t know. Like social media, it will provide an outlet for me, to show and share, which is nice to have regardless of who follows or reads the site. Like Contributing Factor Brewing, my home brew website, I wanted to resurrect the site and start posting again.