I've never cheered so much at an NBA game!

This was the LA Lakers versus the Philadelphia 76ers on January 28, 2025, at Wells Fargo Center which (and I had to look this up) is in Philadelphia. I was at a restaurant where the game was on TV in the bar. When I happened to glance up and saw it, I thrust my fists in the air and made a quiet cheering noise like a whisper, "Whaaah!" 

Was it for the 76ers or the Lakers? Was it for LeBron James? An amazing play?

It was for a sponsor: "Libby: the reading app."

Yay for reading! Yay for libraries!

Libby Promotes Literacy as Proud Sponsor of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Lakers Literacy Program

" This multi-year sponsorship kicks off with the 2024-25 season and marks a long-term commitment to supporting California libraries. "

"Libby" appeared to be painted on the court floor but it was a virtual ad. This allowed for a sponsor of the LA Lakers to promote its brand on national TV while the Philadelphia audience could have been seeing the ad or logo for something entirely different. 

I'm not much of a basketball fan, as you may have determined. But I am a fan of reading and I'm glad to have seen Libby being promoted on TV. 

Read more, watch less.

Camera One, Camera Two

Edited photo

Original image

The problem now is I lack motivation. How about an urban hike?

Without a goal, I'm pretty damned lazy. But with one, watch out. I'm committed as hell.

I got sick in January and, because of that, missed the half marathon I had been training for. I lazed around the house getting well but falling out of my exercise routine. As anyone knows, it's harder to start an exercise routine than it is to maintain one so I have been rather lax in getting back out there. 

• "It's cold out there."
• "I can do it later."
• "I'm too busy."
• "What for?"

These are examples of excuses I've been using. Also, when I walk longer distances (6 or more miles), I don't get anywhere because I generally confine my walks to the streets and trails in my own neighborhood. This can get a little boring.

Sometimes, I wonder about going somewhere. For example,

• Old Town La Quinta is about 5 miles from where I live. This includes breakfast places, shops, restaurants, a brewery, and regular art and farmers markets - plenty of destinations. I have, in the past, walked the 10 miles round trip, stopping for a coffee along the way. (SilverRock Grill, along the way, is 4 miles and a nice stop for breakfast.)

• Ernies Bar & Grill at PGA West is also about 5 miles.

• Trilogy La Quinta is about 5.5 miles. Cafe Solaz is open for breakfast, lunch, and happy hour while Kitchen Ten Eleven is expected to open soon.

• In the other direction, Big Rock Pub is 5.5 miles.

• Desert Wine Shop is about 7 miles.

• Cantina at Eldorado Polo Club is an easy 1.5 mile walk.

• Downtown Indio is about 3 miles.

The point being, there are plenty of destinations within a reasonable walking distance (depending on your definition of "reasonable"). And, we - as in, a group of us - wouldn't have to walk both ways if we got other people to meet us there and drive us back. Exercise with a social carrot at the end.

There are other urban hikes such as El Paseo or parts of the CV Link but all of the ones mentioned above can be accessed from right from our own front doors.

I'm all for hiking. (I should really try to do more of it.) But even with hiking, you don't really get anywhere except to where you started from. You also have to drive to wherever it is you want to hike. What I like about urban hiking is it could really start from wherever you are.

I need some motivation. Anyone want to walk with me somewhere? 

My loyalty only goes so far.

Talking to you, Starbucks.

In an effort to reestablish itself as a premium coffee brand, Starbucks is making some changes. Among them, fewer opportunities to earn Stars in their Rewards program. The idea, originally, was to create brand loyalty and to lure customers into their stores.

Per the Terms of Use: 

Starbucks Rewards is one way in which Starbucks endeavors to reward and thank loyal customers for patronizing our business and purchasing Starbucks products. Starbucks Reward members are able to earn and accumulate "Stars" that can be redeemed for Starbucks Rewards Benefits.

One can earn Stars at a rate of two Stars for every dollar spent when paying through the Starbucks app. The more you spend, the more stars you earn and when you earn enough Stars, you get free stuff. For example, 200 Stars can be redeemed for a coffee drink such as a latte. 300 Stars can be redeemed for packaged coffee such as whole beans.

Additionally,

From time to time, we ... may offer you opportunities to earn additional "Bonus Stars" through special promotions.

Except, they also may not and that's what has been happening lately. No special promotions.

I admit it; I went to Starbucks exclusively when offered some sort of bonus in the form of more Stars which is to say my loyalty can be bought. I would go on Double Stars Day (earning four Stars per dollar), or on days when an extra 20 Stars were offered if I purchased a particular item or combination of items. Sometimes, I would be offered 100 Stars if I went a certain number of times in a week for any purchase of any size. If I wasn't getting something in the form of some kind of bonus within their loyalty Rewards program, then I wasn't going.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has been at the helm less than six months. Has the change in the Rewards program supported a shift in the perception of Starbucks as more of a premium brand?

Not for me. Loyalty goes both ways. 

For better or worse, I've been a Rewards member forEVER and given a choice, I would always choose Starbucks over any other place for coffee. One reason, besides the Stars, is that I could count on a consistent product no matter where I went. I developed a taste for their coffee and had trouble enjoying coffee from anyone else. In short, I was addicted.

Two years ago, Starbucks had a promotion on their Christmas Blend coffee beans. I think it was half off at the time. I had never tried it so I bought a bag. It was good. 

The following year, they promoted their Christmas Blend again so I bought another bag. Every time I went into Starbucks that December, I bought another bag so long as the promotion was still in effect. Before I knew it, I had more than a year's supply of Christmas Blend taking up residence in my freezer. (I just finished the last of it.)

The last promotion Starbucks offered was for a cup of coffee which I could get for free on the Monday following the Super Bowl. Big deal. I can get that in any church basement or hotel lobby. In fact, there's free coffee every day in the lobby of the clubhouse where I live. 

I will not be getting a year's supply of that.

Ironically, at home, I generally brew coffee from beans that are roasted locally despite my recent stockpile of Christmas Blend coffee. I also seek out local breweries here and elsewhere. Other than locally roasted coffee for at-home consumption, I never developed the habit of supporting my local coffee shop like I've done with local breweries when out and about.

That's about to change. It's far past time that I developed a new habit: supporting local coffee.

Who needs stars anyway? If a Sneetch doesn't need them, then neither do I.

I say "sardines" . . .

 . . . you say,

"Ew," probably.

Once upon a time, I had sardines at a tapas bar and was pleasantly surprised. So, naturally, I went to Costco and bought a case. Not really. It was just six cans but the package had all the buzzwords: sustainably caught in the North Pacific Ocean, wild. . . .  I felt compelled to try them at home. Plus, canned sardines are a very shelf-stable protein source to keep in my pantry in case we are overrun by zombies. (They are also a source of omega-3s, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.)

After storing them for a period of time, I thought I should probably figure out what to do with them. I opened a can and tried one. Gastronomically speaking, I can say I was not looking forward to any kind of apocalypse. So they continued to sit, unopened, in my pantry.

Until one day, "Sardine Puttanesca" popped into my head. Where does a thought like that even come from? Lo and behold, I found a recipe on NYTimes Cooking for the very same thing. (By the way, the NYTims Cooking app is very good.) I proceeded to make them for dinner with no backup plan in case it didn't turn out.

I am pleased to report that it was delicious. I have two more cans of sardines and leftover anchovies (also called for in the recipe) so I plan to make Sardine Puttanesca again and again.

Try it and I'll bet that next time I say "sardines," you'll say "yum!"

It's not just me.

Everyone was, is, or will be sick.

Virus season roars back with "quad-demic" of illness (Axios)

The spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is "high" or "very high" across much of the U.S. at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wastewater surveillance data shows.

If you click on the link to the article above, you will see a graphic that shows the Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report for the week of January 4-11 prepared by the CDC. It shows that the activity level of visits for respiratory illness that includes fever plus a cough or sore throat was high or very high for most of the country. If you go to the CDC website now, you will see that illness activity is down in many places (although still relatively high in California). 

Walgreens also has a flu index map which is compiled using retail prescription data for antiviral medications used to treat influenza across Walgreens locations nationwide. While both the CDC and Walgreens show improvements they also indicate that California had high rates of influenza this flu season.

Put it on your calendar now for next September or October:

• Get a flu shot.
• Inventory your cold and flu remedies and stock up. (Take old medicines to a Walgreens or other disposal kiosk.) 
• Make sure the pantry and freezer are full of quick and easy meals. (Don't forget the chicken soup.)
• Consider getting a puzzle or craft items to keep you busy in case you need to stay home.
• Above all, try not to get sick in the first place. Consider digging out your COVID mask especially for times when flu activity is high. (Check the CDC and Walgreens for more information.)

Again, from Axios:

Saskia Popescu, a member of APIC's Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, told Axios.... "All of those mitigation efforts that you can do — washing your hands, covering your cough, cleaning, disinfection, being mindful of ventilation in shared spaces — that's all going to help."

Be well, people, and see you in the Spring. 

My $4,000 staycation ...

... has just ended.

I've been home for a month. Almost exactly. My last driving day was December 20 and my first day back on the job was January 22. In between there were two major holidays and time with family and friends, although it turned that Winter Break went by way too fast. We enjoyed spending relaxing days at home, reading, playing games, and pursuing hobbies. A very nice time. 

And then we both got sick and our holiday extended longer than we expected in the form of a self-imposed quarantine. If it wasn't for the getting sick part, it would have been great. Between the coughs and sniffles, we still managed to do a lot of relaxing and generally enjoying each other's company. We had stocked up on food and hobby supplies so we didn't really need to go anywhere or do anything. We just settled in and got very comfortable in our own little bubble.

I don't know that we saved $4,000 by staying home but I can tell you we did save a lot of money by not going anywhere. We were getting alerts from our credit card company saying, "Are you guys all right? Do you need to buy something?"

We couldn't plan time like that - a whole month's vacation - until maybe May. Wouldn't that be great? Maybe I'll just stay at home again in May. Just take it easy.

The ridiculous part of this is I'm retired. I could take it easy any day. The problem is, I don't which isn't a bad thing. It's good that I'm keeping busy. But, for the last month, I've been reminded of how nice it is to just slow down and enjoy my own company. And, isn't it great that I can spend a month just hanging out with Hubby and want to do it again?

And the savings is pretty grand too. Which is to say we live a pretty good life the rest of the time.

I'm feeling grateful. Lucky to be alive and have the life I have. I'm grateful for my family and friends and the time we spend together. I'm grateful to have the freedom to spend my time alone, too, if that's what I want to do. I'm grateful for the beautiful space and place I live in and that I'm fortunate enough to afford living here.

I'm grateful for my "job," too, which is driving the Littles around from place to place so their parents can work. It keeps me busy and it keeps me connected to people that matter to me so I'm okay with that.

Another half marathon in the books.

Not mine but, you know, somebody's. 

I was training to walk in the Arizona Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. I logged countless hours and countless miles. (That's a lie. I counted them all.)

And then, to celebrate the new year, I got sick with the flu or some damn thing. My first symptoms appeared 11 days before race day. I had time to recover.

Which, I did. But not in time to do the race. Hubby has it too. Has - as in the present tense. Actually, I'm not really sure. He had it - whatever it was - and now he has something else: a persistent cough. He's been sick, literally, for all of 2025 so far. And I don't know if "sick" is the right word anymore. But he just can't shake this cough.

In any case, between the two of us, we thought it best to just stay home.

But I'm just wondering. Do I still get a medal?