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monicalorandavis · 5 years

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Dear Lora

My grandfather wrote a 6-page typed letter to my mother in 1992. His wife, my grandma, my mom’s mom, had died earlier that year. His letter is in response to a letter my mom had written in which her mom visits her in a dream. Below is the transcribed letter in full:

Dear Lora,

Today is the second day of October. Summer of 1992 is history. Even though I am somewhat reluctant to bid farewell to the warm pleasant days of summer, the unmistakable chill in the morning air is convincing enough that fall has arrived. The morning temperature was in the low forties. The warmth of the furnace felt very good. I am, I suppose, prepared for winter (as if it made any difference whether I am prepared or not). Ready or not here it comes. I welcome the coming of winter as I do with the approach of the other three seasons.

This year my garden crop was very productive. I had carrots, turnips, eggplants, corn, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and green beans. Each year with the beginning of the growing season, I make a solemn vow that I am going to limit my crop selection to just a few items. As the year progresses, the urge to plant just one more thing just simply overwhelms me. It’s fun anyway. The thought of putting a seed in the ground, watching it grow and then getting to eat it holds a certain fascination. I sometimes feel that I am a frustrated farmer. Flowers are blooming at their prettiest. It seems that just before their inevitable doom, nature makes a last ditch effort to make them more beautiful than ever. Could this be nature’s way of burning their beauty into our brain so we will be sure to plant them again next season?

I am doing quite well. Apparently all of the vitals are functioning adequately according to the doctor’s report from my last visit. I hope you are taking care of your health. I recall it was during my forties that I began to realize in an abstract way the possibility that I was not immortal and it was just possible that I could become sick just like old folks often does. During my fifties, I took a step further into reality and faced (however reluctantly) that I was indeed going to someday become old just like those other old folks does. Now that I have arrived, I find that in reality this is not at all as bad as I thought it would be.

A quick examination of the available options and alternatives lead one to the acceptance of life with all of its joys as well as its sadnesses. As I write this page I have one ear focused on my television set. Ross Perot is making a speech regarding his decision to run for President or not...From the drift, as I hear it, he seems to be saying that he is going to run...This will be an interesting election year. I am going to vote for Clinton, not that I think he is the best the country is giving us. I don’t know whether my vote will be a vote for Clinton as much as it is a vote against Bush.

It was a pleasure to have received such a long, informative, neat and well-composed letter. Receiving a letter is always a treat. Although we talk by phone a lot, a letter is always something special. I know with your busy schedule with the wife/mother doings, there is little time left for extracurricular things.

You spoke in your letter of Mom visiting you in your dreams recently. Ironically, just prior to receiving your letter, she visited me in a very vivid dream. Usually my dreams are so vague and scattered that it is difficult for me to form a meaningful recollection of the theme or the contents of the dream. And I must add that I do not have frequent dreams of her. I recall hearing from some leader a theory on dreams involving departed loved ones. According to his theory, if that loved one is at peace in their new existence (their new life) then their dream visits will be few but if there is restlessness and discontent visits will be frequent. In this dream, she was radiant, well-dressed and the picture of good health. We were at home together. She was busy cooking and packing in preparation for a trip to your place. I recall asking her about her medication like I always did prior to our trips. She smiled and said “Don’t you remember that I don’t need to take those things anymore? I had an operation and now my liver does the same for my body as the dialysis did. I feel good now.” It was such a pleasant dream. I feel that somewhere out there that she has found peace and contentment. Of course, I shall cherish the memories of all of those wonderful years we spent together. Over the months, the reality of life and death has been drawn into focus. It is strange that a phenomenon as real and predictable as the passing of a loved one could confuse that reality but time is a healing thing and with the passage of time there emerges an emotional balance, a healing process that draws one back into rational acceptance. However altered, there is a sort of life that can be lived and enjoyed. Life is such a precious gift. A constant concern of mine is not so much focused upon my own life, although I try and take reasonable care of myself, but hoping you, my children, and my grandchildren will be healthy and live long, happy lives.

I am really impressed by the neatness and precision of your word-processed letter. It must be a real aid to letter writing and writing in general. It is hard to master? Could a dummy life me use one? I like to write things. A problem I have is after I write and sleep on what I have written, I have an overwhelming urge to change what I have written. Maybe a word processor would cure that ambivalence.

You made a comment concerning your handwriting. Have you ever seen my handwriting? Yours would put mine to shame. My typing is rather shabby too.

I noticed judging from the look of some of my vegetable crop we have already a frost so soon. There are still a few things I have to do in order to prepare for winter. I had a new door installed at the front entrance and the door to the garage. That are is always like an icebox in spite of my attempts to weatherstrip. Hopefully the new carpet and drapes will help some to keep the place warm this winter. I still have some other things in mind to help keep the heating bill under control this winter.

I talked to Alan and Elfriede recently. They are extending an open invitation to visit them this winter for a few days. I might take them up on the offer. I still haven’t made any concrete visit plans. Hopefully the airlines will throw out some good discounts during October. Then we shall see about the holidays. I think we will make our trek to the southland sometime next year. I don’t think Doris is too interested in going. I understand her lack of interest to a certain extent. If that Alyx is interested, I suppose she and I should make the trip. How about Steven?

Did you hear that Erika is pregnant? Due sometimes early 93. Kim is still pending marriage in April I believe. I hear from Noelle occasionally. She seems to be getting along well, working hard as a nurse in a nursing home in Ft. Collins. I question her selection of a boyfriend (but don’t we all?). She never sounds too happy when she calls. He is going to school, a rather nice fellow but seems so immature to take on marital responsibilities. I hope I am wrong.

Election time is drawing near, isn’t it? Ross Perot is toying again with the idea of reentering the race for President. It is alright for him to play politics so long as he don’t do anything that will spoil Clinton’s chances to kick Bush out of office. In my view, the country has been so fouled up under 11 years of Reagan/Bush policies that it will take a decade of pain before the country is straightened out. I think we will be in real serious trouble if Bush manages to sneak by and get reelected.

It is nearing supper time. Three guesses what I am cooking up today...

I don’t know the name of it but the ingredients are squid, daikon, Konyamu wakame and gobo. It was a family favorite. We are having a district meeting* here tonight so I will share some of it with the WD. I have already tasted it and it tasted real authentic. I am (in my opinion) getting pretty good “international cuisine”. I pick up cooking tips from various sources. Yoshiko’s Chef at her Chinese restaurant let me in on some of his secrets. One of my favorites is a relatively simple chicken dish. It goes like this: completely thaw out a large frying chicken. In a large pan, bring enough water to completely the chicken to a rapid boil and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the boiling water. In the meantime, prepare a sauce using soy sauce, grated garlic, ginger cut in small strips, a little sugar, and a dash of hot sesame oil. Cut the chicken up into frying sized pieces, place on a platter and pour the sauce over the chicken. Finally, place chopped cilantro over the dish. It is simple and it is good! Note: It is necessary that the chicken not be frozen when it is placed in the boiling water. It is preferable that it be left out for a while to raise the temperature before boiling. On many occasions, I try to recall some of the dishes Mom used to make. She was not keen on letting me know too much about her cooking secrets. My traditional role in the kitchen while she was cooking was sort of like a kitchen helper, relegated to such simple tasks as fanning the cooked rice that she was going to use for making sushi, or slicing vegetables for tempura. None of the technical stuff. However, I did manage to steal some of her prized methods. This comes in handy because I have not lost any of my love for the taste of Japanese foods. I like to cook and also like to eat, so getting a balanced meal is not a problem at this point.

Rather than review my letter in its entirety to correct the misspelled words, I am going to send it on as it is written. In all probability, if I go back to edit it I will end up attempting to rewrite it and never finish. Anyway, you can figure out what I am trying to say. Today is Friday, the 2nd of October, a beautiful day. I have done morning Gongyo*, had breakfast, had a visitor who accompanied me on my walk around Prospect Lake. I plan to visit Richard this evening, perhaps spend the night there. He is so busy with his golf obsession and keeping up with his three business things that time is not sufficient for him to leave his area.

This is a picture I took when the kids were here this summer*. I think it is now time to say goodbye. Don’t you?

Love,

Dad

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*District Meeting* - Buddhist district meetings were monthly meet-ups for the area in which you lived. In bigger cities, like LA, there were more districts. In a city like Colorado Springs, districts were smaller and Buddhists drove further to get to meetings.

*WD* aka women’s division. The SGI has a long-standing tradition of peer group-led meetings. It’s always had men’s division, women’s division and youth division.

*morning Gongyo* - if you chanted morning gongyo you’re basically crushing it.

*no clue what picture* Oh how I wish I had it now.

#grandpa #coloradosprings #buddhist #typewriter #old people are the best

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tessmontyart · 5 years

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2018 Year In Review

Another year, another review 💕(I actually typed most of this up before 2019 and then got distracted, whoops)

To put things short, 2018 has been AWESOME :D Exhausting and fast, but awesome.

I started it off pretty uncertain how things were going to go, dreading it would be a repeat of 2017′s boring TAFE courses and endless job rejections. But the miracle happened - a 2D animation studio opened up near me, I applied, did an animation test and got the job!

The job was a contract from 1st of April - 21st of December, so I spent the majority of my year going to work to animate characters for a really crazy but hilarious new kids show called Spongo Fuzz and Jalapena, due to air mid 2019 :)

It was honestly the most fun job I have ever had and I can’t wait for the next project! 🎉 I have never been this exhausted in my life, though. 😅I had already booked a whole bunch of conventions before I got the job, and didn’t want to cancel them so I was working nonstop - Animation during the day and intensive convention prep every night.

I also had the bright idea of creating a full colour 26 page comic -with a tight deadline - so I was madly working to the point I didn’t even have time for dinner half the time :’) I am sort of happy with the comic, but also kind of wish I never had the idea in the first place. 😅

I tabled at a ton of conventions; Melbourne Supanova, Central Coast ComiCon, Other Worlds Zine Fair, Sydney Supanova, SMASH and Canberra Gamma Con. If next year doesn’t go so well on the job side of things I’m hoping to add a few more conventions to that list - Brisbane Supanova, Oz Comic Con and Animaga to name a few. I’ve already booked Sydney Madman Anime Festival!

2018 was the year my partner and I celebrated our 4th year together, and he never fails to amaze me with his continuous love and support. I was too sick to attend the first day of SMASH, so he set up and ran the whole stall for me while I stayed at home. Same with Sydney Supanova, I was too bogged down in animation work and couldn’t afford to take the Friday off, so he set up and ran the stall for me on Friday, then we ran the stall together on the weekend. He also tended to my every need when I broke my toe, cooked all my meals when I was busy with work and even packaged + posted all my Etsy orders every day because I was always working during post office hours. He listened to all the problems I was having with my stall setup and helped make shelves and decorations to make it look and function better. I was getting stressed because my desk space was too small, BAM he bought me a brand new desk with plenty of storage. I was getting stressed that I had so much on my convention to-do-list and couldn’t keep track of all my project ideas, BAM, he sets up a whiteboard and helps me brainstorm everything so I can keep track of all my thoughts and ideas and what to prioritise for future conventions. I didn’t even ask him to do any of this, he just loves to help me and make me happy and I am forever blissed and happy to be able to spend my life with such a wonderful human!

(Home made High Tea I made for him on Valentines Day)

Arsty Highlilghts / accomplishments:

🌸I designed 9 cute Houseki no Kuni acrylic charms which have been doing really well at conventions!

🌸I also drew a cute series of ‘Sleepy Gem’ Houseki no Kuni / Steven Universe holographic prints, which I’m quite proud of 😊

🌸I created my 2nd enamel pin design, which already needed 2 reorders because they were so popular! ;w; I never knew I could make something that so many people love *sob* I’ve already planned to make these into a series! (already designed some deer ones, and thinking of doing foxes next ^_^ )

🌸I also tried getting gold foil prints done for the first time, which was pretty cool! I got the american sizes mixed up though so I might try for the bigger size next time :) (grainy photo cause its a screenshot from a video)

🌸I’ve been taking steps to make my stall look more ‘professional’, and got a really neat wooden sign made for me by my friend as_sweet_as_jasmine!

🌸I’ve started revamping my favourite series of posters - the Eevee Gijinka girls :) I plan to have them all done and ready for 2019s conventions!

🌸This was the year I got an iPad, so I could do digital art on-the-go. Honestly its helped me so much, and I can’t wait to be able to use it more (sorta didn’t get a chance to touch it while i was working!)

🌸I got Copic Markers for my birthday so I had a whole new medium to play with! These mixed with using a brush pen for inking really make my inktobers pop and I’m eager to draw more with them :)

🌸Speaking of Inktober, it was a huge accomplishment for me to put effort into a decent artwork every day this year! Usually theres a few dud ones when I lacked inspiration, but I somehow managed to make it work ;w; So when it came time to printing the books, theres 31 illustrations rather than 25 like the others :) Also the whole rainbow theme idea came from how cool I think it would look flipping through a rainbow book - so I managed to make that happen and couldn’t be happier!

🌸I passed 1000 sales on Etsy!! 😱As well as 1000 followers on instagram! Crazy right??

General 2018 highlights

🌸2018 was the year one of my best friends got married! I made cute little clay wedding cake toppers for her :)

🌸The year Owl City’s 7th album Cinematic came out!! All the tracks are so GOOD and exactly the sound all us hootowls were longing for. Also Be Brave is a tearjerker, in a good way. What an amazing human Abbey is to Adam <3

🌸The year Spyro Reignited Trilogy came out!! It’s absolutely amazing, and I love every second of it. Every time I play it I just can’t help but stand there looking around at every detail because everything is just so gorgeous *_* And the nostalgia is so real.

🌸Not exactly a highlight but the year Tumblr went NSFW free, and lost hundreds of thousands of users 😂I’m still here though. Got a dumb tradition to keep up ya know.

🌸The year my work had a hilarious Christmas party where we had to dress up as a character from Spongo Fuzz and Jalapena. It was the first time I actually put effort into a cosplay by myself 😂(possibly the last) (wont put a photo up for embarrassing reasons)

🌸the year I broke my toe for the first time xD;; definitely not a highlight but a first! I couldn’t walk for weeks! it sucked!!! T__T

🌸The year my friend successfully funded his kickstarter for his own cartoon ‘Nurry Brothers Adventure World’ :D So proud of him. I’m gonna help him animate!

🌸The year Lano and Woodley reunited with their amazing show ‘Fly’!! I loved it so much I saw it twice :D

🌸The year I tried doing Halloween for the first time - I bought a bunch of lollies and chocolates and decorations on my letterbox/door to let people know I was participating. I got 2 different groups of people at the door, 5 people all up 😂More than I expected tbh!

🌸I tried Ruby chocolate for the first time! It was ok .. just kinda tasted like berry yoghurt flavoured white chocolate though ;w;

SO! What’s coming for 2019?

I’m not really sure at the moment, but I have high hopes for Cheeky Little Studios (the animation company I worked for) - so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if any of their next projects get concrete start dates :) I’m not as terrified of the year as I usually am when its just one big question mark. I know I can make decent money through conventions and commissions in the meant time so I’ll just continue doing what I love!

LAST YEAR I SAID:

“I am crossing my fingers for an animation job I applied for a while ago” - I GOT IT! :D

“I plan to do even more conventions. Hopefully I can get into Oz Comic Con!" - didn’t end up applying because I was busy with the job, but keen to try for 2019 :)

"I’m keen to apply for like Animaga in Melbourne, as well as Madman Anime Fest in Brisbane and Melbourne.” - didn’t end up doing so for the same reason above, but that might change this year :)

“I also want to make a lot more non-fandom things for market stalls, as well as a comic and zines!” - I made the comic, as well as 3 inktober zines and a cute ‘if I fits I sits’ cat zine! As well as a bunch of cute original enamel pin ideas and my whole inktober was original art :D

“Hopefully I’ll hit 1k followers on fb/ig? :D that will make me feel important lol” - I hit 1k on instagram!! I felt very important xD

“I’m also hoping to go on a holiday this year." - I didn’t, for job reasons ... buuut I’m booked in for a cruise in Italy / Greece this September that I’m extremely excited for!

“PLEASE BE KIND 2018, I’M BEGGING YOU 😱” - You were very very kind to me, 2018. 2019, please follow suit!

(man this is the 7th year of review I’ve done. Can’t believe I’ve been on tumblr this long 😅)

[2017] [2016] [2015] [2014] [2013] [2012]

#2018 #2018 year review #year review #year in review #personal crap #i honestly dont expect anyone to read these #i just do them for myself lol

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hashtagsmitty · 5 years

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Smitty's Thailand Adventure - Day 4

This time on DragonBall Z - Josh picks up random street pussy, hours of wrecking little kids, another long ass wait, and a 10k hike.

I fell asleep last night as soon as I hit the pillow so I wrote yesterday's thing this morning. I was angry while I wrote it and even angrier when I went to get breakfast. I'm on the other side of the world in a city that smells terrible, I'm lonely, I spent yesterday watching Josh and his GF make kissy faces at each other...

People travel to experience new things and broaden their horizons. I assume. I'm travelling to spend time with my best friend - there's not much about Thailand that really appeals to me. I'm not an adventurous eater and I've never liked sauces on my food, so a lot of cuisine is out. I don't care about buying cheap stuff at markets, so that's out. The biggest thing I've realised of the culture is that it's (generously described as) laissez-faire - they don't care very much. Minimum effort required.

I realise all this sounds negative - I'm in a much better mood after the day I had today, but I wanted to capture how I was feeling this morning. Having such a good day put all this in perspective, and one moment of negativity isn't going to ruin this trip - I won't let it.

I went to get breakfast and ate it in the room while I listened to a podcast and played a game on my phone. Josh texted me at 9 to say we were meeting up at 1:30 for laser tag. I had time to kill. I decided that I was going to see the Statue of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. The pictures I found online don't do it justice - I really just wanted to see a longboi Buddha because I thought it would be cool.

So. Wat Pho is 13kms from my hotel. The skytrain got me halfway there. The options for the rest of the trip were:

Bus. The buses in Bangkok look terrifying - thick black clouds of smoke, no glass in the windows. Plus, the traffic is crazy and I'm genuinely convinced I'll see someone die before I leave. I don't want it to be me, so the bus was out.

Taxi or TukTuk. We used tuktuks heaps last time we were here, because they were so damn cheap. For many of the same reasons as above, mostly that I don't want to die in Thailand, tuktuks were out. The taxis we took yesterday were insane - they are good drivers, in the sense that they don't crash, but they're unsafe and terrifying drivers, in the sense that they don't stick in their lanes, don't indicate, and have very little concern for road rules. Plus, April and I had a scary incident with a taxi last time we were in Asia, so I wanted no part of being alone in a taxi. So this option is out.

Walk.

I walked from Siam Station (think Crown Casino crossed with Flinders Street Station) all the way to the longboi Buddha. Each way took an hour.

I used this as an opportunity to practice my photography. I'm working on a series called "Decay BK", a set of vignettes capturing small elements of how busted up parts of this city are. Here are some samples:

Like something out of Fallout, especially that first one of the railway lines. I saw heaps of other things that I didn't take a picture of, but mostly I just saw people living. Normal people in a weird and different situation to mine, making do or even thriving. We said that Cambodia had a harsh juxtaposition between the rich and poor - we saw small mansions literally next to garbage dumps - but in Thailand it's worse. The poverty isn't quite as bad, at least from what I've seen, but the wealth and opulence and excess is so much higher here.

Long story short I walked for an hour in the sun. An army dude stopped me and warned me about pickpockets. I thanked him and kept walking. Eventually I made it to the temple.

The statue is huge. Seriously. Go look at pictures:

The pictures don't do it justice - the thing is like two stories tall. It looks like solid gold, but I think it might be hollow and gold plated. Still, it's gorgeous. I had to take my shoes off and put them in a bag to enter the temple. I got to walk around it and dodge the huge throng of people in the temple. The army guy said today was the last day of the holiday so it was going to be packed. When I told Josh that he said that there's no holiday and the army guy was probably trying to pickpocket me himself.

I put my shoes back on, grabbed my complimentary water, and started the long walk back. I was hot. I was sweating like a pig. My feet hurt. I kept tripping on exposed parts of the concrete, only making my vindictive, fake "posr-collapse" photography all the sweeter. But I felt good - I navigated this city like a boss, seeing a beautiful side of the city I likely wouldn't have otherwise, and getting a much clearer picture of the people and the culture and what the non-tourist parts of Bangkok look like.

That's actually something that Josh does really well - both here and in Cambodia, we didn't stay in areas full of tourists. I think we got a much better picture of the countries we were in.

Though, apparently Cambodia was and is still owned by the Khmer Rouge, and we had no idea, so make of that what you will.

I got to the White Ethnostate and Aryan Purity Family Mart a little before when I said I'd meet Josh there. The laser tag place was just around the corner from there. I got some water and waited.

And waited.

He texted me at 2, when we agreed to meet (I had to push it back by 30 minutes because some moron decided to walk across the city for 2 hours) to say that he was running late and that he'd explain when he got there.

He got there at 2:30. We grabbed some food - the same thing I've been having for breakfast, chicken and rice - and caught up. He needed to spend time with Espy, he said. I nodded. I know how that is. We headed off to laser tag. On the way we discussed his girlfriend being a bit overly affectionate yesterday, and he told me that it made him a bit uncomfortable. "There's a time and place for that sort of thing", he said. I was glad to hear that - his other girlfriends have done the same thing when I've been around, and I find it frustrating, so to hear him acknowledge it meant a lot.

The laser tag place was full when we got there at 3, so we paid for a day pass and agreed to come back at 4. We went to that park near the station with the bird poo all over the steps, and walked around a while. We found some stray cats and Josh played with them for a while.

We sat on a bench and shot the shit for a while. Josh had a fresh coconut while we watched a stray cat stare down a squirrel in a tree. Josh told me that his friends from the other night had said that they thought I was really cool and easy to talk to - "a natural", one of them said. I was pleased to hear that, because being social never came easily to me and it's something I've been trying to work on. We talked about who hooked up with who and who was being clingy or wasting their time. It was nice.

We went back to laser tag. There was a large group of Singaporean medical students. We played a couple rounds with them - scored in the top 5 each time, out of around 30 people. We took a group photo for the Singaporeans, then they left and a bunch of kids came in. Not one to reject a challenge, Josh suggested that we play 2v5 against them. They respectfully declined and we played free-for-all instead. No prize for guessing who came first and second.

We got hungry, so we went to the Emporium, the shopping center attached to the skytrain station near my house.

Dinner was the same chicken franchise we got from the airport, but a much nicer version. The female, Thai Ben from the other night texted Josh. Apparently he made sure she got home safe that night we were hanging out in District W. She said she bumped into someone called Andrew who swore up and down that he knew me. I can't think of any Andrews I know. Josh assumed that it was a pretense to text him, and he told Ben this. No idea how that ended up.

We finished the meal and went back to laser tag. A couple of new groups rotated in and we played 3 more games, for a total of 8. I won the last 2 games, and ended up with a final K:D ratio of 5:2. I achieved this miraculous score by abusing the power-up mechanics heavily, and enlisting the small children on my team as my strike squad. They might not have understood English, but once I showed them how to get the powerups, we were wrecking everyone, and my two minions came 3rd and 5th. Josh was 2nd and some old Indian dude who stood at the entrance and sniped people came 4th. It was fun!

Josh and I walked back to the Alt-White Political Disempowerment Family Mart. We agreed to meet up again tomorrow, after his girlfriend was done with classes. I walked down my street, straight past two "massage girls" who didn't so much as whistle at me. I'm beginning to think that I'm invisible. Or I smelled from all the walking and running around, hard to say.

I went straight to the shower once I got in. I saw the sun today, and even a patch of blue sky! Today ended much better than it started, and I'm feeling excited and positive about tomorrow.

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

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Let’s All Head To The Hamptons Too!

Good day… And a Happy Friday to one and all! The infusion confusion fog dissipated for the most part yesterday as the day went along, but still lingers a tiny bit this morning. The heart doctor visit was good. He was very pleased with the weight I’ve lost since seeing me in the hospital 2 months ago. I’ve still got a ways to go with regards to weight loss, but I didn’t gain it all at once, and I won’t lose it all at once! This is the start of a 3-day, holiday weekend. Memorial Day weekend. YAHOO! I could use a few days of sleeping in! I’ll have more on Memorial Day in the Big Finish today… Aaron Neville greets me this morning with his song: Tell It Like It is.. . I always get a little emotional when I hear this song, because, this is the song that my oldest sister, Brenda taught me to slow dance to… Brenda was so special to me, she taught me to tie my shoe, she taught what never to say to a girl, and so on…

OK, I’ll get off the nostalgia road I was on there… Well, the markets will get really thin this afternoon, as the U.S. heads to a 3-day holiday weekend, and the Big Swinging Traders will be heading to the Hamptons, thus leaving their trading books with the junior traders with strict instructions to not take on any risk positions. I always think of myself in those situations, and seeing an opportunity to buy something cheap, and going ahead and taking on the position, and then take the mantra of: It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission! But shoot Rudy, don’t we all wish we could Head To The Hamptons too?

With the U.K. also on holiday Monday, it’s made the thin volume already present in the markets, and the currencies are just trading sideways this morning. Pound sterling is taking on some water though this morning after the latest poll had the Conservatives lead narrowing to just 5 percentage points… I’m going to point out once again that I called this scenario two months ago, when PM May called for this election, thinking that it would strengthen her position as the U.K. headed to BREXIT… I said at the time that I thought she was taking a risk that she didn’t need to… And now look what’s happening! The pound has lost the 1.29 handle on the poll news, and… 1st QTR GDP was revised downward to 0.2% from 0.3%…

Well, I guess it wasn’t a very well-kept secret was it? I’m talking about the OPEC and non OPEC nations meetings yesterday, where they agreed to maintain their production cuts for 9 more months… They didn’t catch anyone off guard by announcing additional cuts, as I was thinking they might do… And the price of Oil? Well, traders weren’t too happy knowing ahead of time what the outcome would be, so… it was a very clear case of buy the rumor sell the fact, as traders sold Oil after the meeting announcement. I do want to point out that at the beginning of May the price of Oil had a $ 45 handle on it, and on Tuesday it was trading with a $ 51 handle on it… So the “buy the rumor” part was strong… I’m thinking that the “sell the fact” part won’t end up being that strong… But so far this morning the price of Oil has a $ 48 handle..

Inflation is falling in Russia… And has been for over a year now, thus the previous rate cuts from the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) have been spot on. Last month, I wrote about how I saw the internal rate in Russia being cut several times this year, and ending the year around 7.5% for their internal rate. Now, in days gone by, traders would have loved to see inflation falling like it is, and if the so-called experts who make calls on stuff like this, are correct, the headline inflation # could very well be below 4% by the end of summer… Food inflation has been the big mover in Russian CPI (consumer inflation) A year ago the food inflation component of CPI was 5.3%,this year (same month) it was 3.6% year on year.. Now, one would think that given this fall in CPI, and the thought that the internal rate will be cut several times this year, that the ruble would be under pressure… But not so much, as the ruble remains tied to the price of Oil right now…

The euro is trading above 1.12 this morning at 1.1220, and it’s all just a reflection of what the dollar is doing, as there’s been no news from the Eurozone the last couple of days, nor today, so the euro rises as the dollar gets sold, but it’s not an across the board selling of the dollar, as the euro is one of the few currencies that has moved positively this morning, as the other currencies, as I said above, are moving sideways.

Gold lost $ 3.20 from its price on Wednesday, and closed at $ 1,255.40… The shiny metal is up $ 6.80 as I write… And in the aftermarket yesterday Gold recovered the $ .3.20 lost during the day and added to its price… This will be one of those strange days where the SGE price of Gold is on top of the COMEX price of Gold. This happens when here in the U.S. the price of Gold rallies in the aftermarket and in the early morning trading. The SGE takes the closing COMEX price and goes from there… So, don’t worry, the SGE price will play catchup on Sunday night, when we’re still attempting to get the smell of charcoal smoke off our bodies!

Investment returns… Investors are addicted to them, always looking for something that returns more… But these days, even stock market gains are minimal compared to other things… Publishing guru, Bill Bonner wrote in his letter yesterday (www.bonnerandpartners.com ) about investment returns, and he had some interesting information that I think you all should hear.. So.. with no further ado, here’s Bill!

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll make money with Buffett. Over the past 20 years, Berkshire Hathaway failed to beat the return from 30-year U.S. Treasuries. What? How could that be?

Following the 2008 crisis, the Fed bought long-term Treasuries as part of its QE program, driving up prices. Even Buffett couldn’t keep up. But wait, there’s more.

Guess what beat BOTH long-term Treasuries and Buffett… with zero management fees… and near-zero risk.?

And before we open the envelope, consider that this was a period in which every major central bank was pushing up bond prices directly with $ 12 trillion in newly created money.

…a period in which the Dow tripled…

What beat stocks and bonds? Can you guess?

Gold, with an annual return of 7.6%. Go figure.”

Thanks Bill, for reminding us that you need to look over periods of time, and not just what have you done for me lately with investments!

Speaking of Gold… my guitar playing friend, Steve Sjuggerud, was writing about Gold yesterday in his letter that is sent out by www.stansberryresearch.com . But more to the point he was illustrating why he thinks Platinum is ready for a run… He said that he doesn’t have a particular expertise in Platinum but he knows three things: 1. The downturn in prices is still in place 2. So, I’m not a buyer yet… However… 3. History says Big Platinum discounts usually don’t last long.

So, there’s something for you to think about this morning or whenever it is that you get around to reading the Pfennig!

Well, yesterday I talked about the Fed’s Balance Sheet of $ 4.5 Trillion in Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Bonds, and how the Fed was going to probably give the skinny on their unwinding of the positions at the June meeting. The 5 Minute Forecast (www.agorafinancial.com ) was discussing the Fed’s unwinding of its Balance Sheet. First let me correct something I said yesterday, when I called the “Great Unwind” the GW. A dear reader pointed GW out to me and said, “shouldn’t it be GU”? Of course it should! What a dolt I was, but then I do have an excuse going for me, as I was suffering from infusion confusion…

So, anyway, the “5” had this to say about the GU… “By some estimate, a $ 500 billion reduction in the Fed balance sheet has the same tightening impact as a 1% increase in the fed funds rate. At present, the fed funds rate is 1%, and the Fed is looking to raise it to 1.25% next month.”

WOW! That could end up being a real bugaboo for the Fed should they unwind too quickly! I’m in agreement with James Rickards on how the Fed will unwind, and that is to simply allow maturing bonds to pay off and not reinvest the proceeds, which is good, because the Fed created the money to buy the bonds out of thin air to begin with, and the proceeds should go right back to thin air! The Fed created the dollars and when the bonds come due, they’ll take those dollars and send them to the Treasury. What the Treasury does with them is up in the air.

Oh woe is me… I’m sitting here thinking of all sorts of things that the Treasury could do with the proceeds, and that’s useless! I’m worried about this process and I need to stop worrying! OK, there! I said to myself, Chuck, stop worrying! Hopefully, that will work!

What should I worry about? HA! I guess I should worry about the economic data here in the U.S. So, let’s check out the Data Cupboard, and get on with this!

The U.S. Data Cupboard yesterday, had the April Trade Balance (read deficit!) for us to look at… You might recall me telling you that with the weaker dollar in April that we might see a narrowing of the Deficit from $ 65.1 Billion in March.. But that didn’t happen… And the Trade Deficit grew to $ 67.6 Billion! Now that figure doesn’t take in any credit from Services, as that total will be printed on June 2nd… But normally those “services” don’t change the total number too much.. The reason the Gov’t separates these two, is to have a better feel for GDP…

And with that thought, I can tell you that a lot of the economists, and economic research places are already changing their outlook from a robust 2nd QTR GDP to one that isn’t so robust… Uh-Oh, that should throw a spanner in the works for the Fed, who are still saying that 1st QTR slowdown was only “transitory”, and that the 2nd QTR would be much better… Uh-Oh…

Today’s U.S. Data Cupboard will have plenty of data for us to chew on… A revision to 1st QTR GDP, which originally printed at 0.7%, is expected to be revised upward to 0.9%, as if that would make a difference worth a hill of beans! But, the rate hike campers will be pointing to the upward revision, and doing their happy dance… We’ll also see April Durable Goods Orders which will most likely print negative… And Capital Goods Orders, which I’ve explained several times in the past, is the cornerstone of a growing economy, without Capital Equipment being bought, the economy has nowhere to go. And then finally we finish it all off today with the final April print of Consumer Sentiment, which should remain high, but as always I want to point out, that this is simply a measure of the stock market, and nothing else!

So, nothing there really to move the dollar weaker this morning… So after reading the Pfennig this morning, just close up shop, and start the 3-day holiday weekend early! You have my permission to do so!

To recap… The currencies, for the most part, are moving sideways today, as thinned out trading desks and volumes will be the call to order today, as we head to a 3-day Holiday Weekend here and in the U.K. The euro is back above 1.12, but it’s strictly a case of the dollar getting sold and not euro strength on any Eurozone news, because there is none! The pound sterling is getting sold though this morning on the news that the Polls showed just a 5 pt. lead for the conservatives… I think I’m going to get to say, that I told her so! Gold heads higher in the early morning trading after losing $ 3.20 yesterday, and the price of Oil drops after the OPEC meeting, thus being a case of buy the rumor, sell the fact…

For What It’s Worth… I have a special treat for you today… This is my newest fave economist, Danielle Di Martino Booth, talking in her latest missive that she sends out pretty much every week. I implore you click on the link and read her message about how we should beware of Central Bankers bearing gifts… And you can read it all here: http://dimartinobooth.com/beware-central-bankers-bearing-gifts/

Or, here’s your snippet: “the Federal Reserve’s last Federal Open Market Committee Minutes warned that “equity prices are quite high relative to standard valuation measures.”

Let’s see. Where does the stock market fit into Congress’ statutory requirements that the Fed’s objectives be: “maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates”? You neither, huh?

The Minutes also indicated that, “equity price indexes increased over the intermeeting period.” Is it the slightest bit alarming that monetary policymakers are nodding to a phenomena that’s been in place since March 2009 as having just occurred to them? Are we pondering pure coincidence or is this exactly what it appears to be — political pandering?

This from CNBC: FOMC Minutes have unleashed the word “valuation’ as it pertains to equities six times since Alan Greenspan, a self-described obsessive observer of the stock market, first uttered the words, “irrational exuberance.” In every instance, stocks were hit over the next 12 months.”

Chuck again… From time to time I will highlight Danielle Di Martino Booth’s letter, because I believe she and I walk in the same circles, but her credentials are far better than mine! Might I also throw in that her book, Fed Up, is a very good read, and something that everyone that wants to know what was going on inside the Fed during the last Financial Crisis, will want to read. I’m sure you can find it on any of the online book stores like Amazon or whatever…

Currencies today 5/26/17… American Style: A$ .7455, kiwi .7050, C$ .7433, euro 1.1225, sterling 1.2875, Swiss $ .97… European Style: rand 12.8933, krone 8.3716, SEK 8.6646, forint 273.53, zloty 3.7223, koruna 23.5398, RUB 56.35, yen 110.98, sing 1.3815, HKD 7.7945, INR 64.42, China 6.8742, peso 18.45, BRL 3.2774, Dollar Index 97.08, Oil $ 49.20, 10-year 2.24%, Silver $ 17.30, Platinum $ 959.21, Palladium $ 779.05, Gold 1,269.50, and SGE Gold $ 1,266.53

That’s it for today… Today begins the Holiday weekend known as Memorial Day… This is a day that we are to remember those brave soldiers that died for this country. I know that the day will be celebrated by those that think about Memorial Day as the first day of summer, and that pools open, and BBQ smells fill the air. And I do enjoy all those things, but to me this is a somber Holiday. One that I feel should be made more of… A dear reader sent me a 5-minute video about a Catholic Military Chaplain in the Korean War… It brought tears to my eyes, and yes, even though I only have one good eye, I still tear up in both eyes. And it’s with great personal feeling that I give you the link to this video… I hope it moves you the way it moved me.

But, just because I make a big deal out of the real reason for Memorial Day, doesn’t mean you have to, so go out an fill your neighborhood with the smell of charcoal burning! That smell always gets my mouth watering for what till come later! Today, Dawn and Delaney Grace will be celebrating the end of the school year, with Delaney and Everett’s friends coming over to swim, and tomorrow, is Braden’s birthday party here at the house. So, I’ll be busy the next two days, and on Monday, me and my boys, go to the Cardinals game. Sons Andrew and Alex, and adopted son Jerry (Dawn’s husband) are heading to Busch Stadium on Monday, should be fun! And I think Mike Leake will be pitching that day! The Scorpions take us to the finish line today with their song: Still Loving You, which every time I hear this song, I think of my friend, Laura Baur, who loves this song! And with that, I hope you have a Fantastico Friday, and a Wonderful Weekend! I thank you for reading the Pfennig, and hope you forward it to all your friends and family! Be Good To Yourself!

Chuck Butler Managing Director EverBank Global Markets Creator / Editor of: A Pfennig For Your Thoughts 1-800-926-4922

http://www.everbank.com

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