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The Middle Class – The 20th century and the rise of labor
Continuing on in the vein of the concept of the “middle class” that politicians and pundits love to banter about. Prior episodes highlighted the rift between the nobles and the serfs that gave rise to the powerful merchant and professional class that was the genesis of the “middle class”. The formation of the United States,…
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House Hunting Journal – looking forward to moving
We have found a home we liked, placed an offer, and to our surprise, won the bidding. Woot. Now closing day is 10 days away, and it is time to reflect on how nice it will be to have a house again. Some of the downsides to apartment living will be lifted. Having a pantry…
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The Middle Class – The Industrial Revolution
The last post I explored the rise of the talented, educated professional and how their roots were in the guild system. This time, I will start with the industrial revolution, and how that upended the rising of that middle class. The Industrial Revolution While the shift from craft based manufacture of goods was well underway…
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I am not cut out to be a landlord
Our house in Tucson, which we rented for 2 years before we desperately needed the cash to buy a house in San Jose, is under contract. The “buyers” are doing their due diligence and part of that is a home inspection. We got the results of the inspection. Holy fucking shit Batman, our tenants over…
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New years commitments – not a resolution
I never really got into the “New Year’s Resolutions” thing. Too much pressure to succeed, that ironically virtually guarantees your failure. That said, I havd a few things i am going to do better this year. My weight I have been letting my weight inch up. Stressful job, not enough time to exercise, and comfort…
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A Guilty Pleasure – Doc Savage Stories
I thought I had written about this before, but apparently, searching my archives, I haven’t. Today’s the day I guess. It is no secret that I have a voracious appetite for reading. It started young, when I was in High School, and was heavily Science Fiction oriented. It was escape from some reality, and I…
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House Hunting Journal – hidden meaning in real estate listings
Any serious time spent looking for homes for sale in the Bay Area, and you begin to learn some key codewords. You begin to think like Alan Turing deciphering the Enigma. In the way back time, when I was first hunting, in the pre-internet era, the code words were clumsy. For example, “A Mountain View”…
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House Hunting Journal – 1000 Square Feet is really small
Looking at listings until your eyes bleed, and you see something that looks promising. Nice yard, well maintained, spruced up interior. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms. Sounds good. Then you hit the open house. Your instincts are correct, fabulous yard, kick-ass kitchen, indoor laundry (a RARITY in Silicon Valley). Nice. But then you realize that at…
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The Middle Class – Its Origin
Politicians love to rant, and one thing they agree on is the importance of the Middle Class to the economy. It is taken for granted, and all that yada-yada. Like this middle class has always existed, and been the lynchpin of progress, but that is not true. This is the first of a series of…