Airing my personal feelings on gun control in the US.  Where we're at, what I'm content with, what I'd like to see happen.  I don't feel I said anything crazy, so hopefully no one over-reacts to this.

Going through some minor whiskey-related news from the weekend.  New bottles (en route) and a social gathering. 

And of course a 3-minute recap of Halloween.  Feels like I didn't do it justice, but I went on longer than expected on gun control and really, who wants to hear more than that regarding kids and candy.

Discuss my weekend trip back home to Chicago (and Pontiac, IL) for my uncle's visitation and funeral.  And a trip to Bob & Ringo's, which is now WAY too clean and nice.  

And then just filling time.  I realized during editing that this was more of a discombobulated mess than normal.  We all have our good days and bad days.

Discussing the seemingly mundane decisions that lead to this episode not coming out on time, which means potentially not at all this week due to things we'll discuss next time.  Side bar into more hard evidence I'm somehow getting less fit even while working out more.

Then I go over my grand plan to set up some type of whiskey top-10 list complete with blind scoring...and then all the reasons that would be a disaster.  And what I will likely end up doing in December.

And finally some of the ways I'm genuinely a crotchety old man even in middle age.  Oh, and the neighborhood has some soft, spoiled high schoolers.  

It was a crazy weekend of travel and MLS soccer, including a few-holds-barred cannonball run down the Blue Route in an 11-yr-old Outback with 105k on the clock.  And yet, somehow not at all terrible.  

But I've finally accepted that I'm getting, and feeling, older.  Maybe treating my body like a rental all these years wasn't a sustainable choice...  Time to get back to full-body fitness and healthier eating.

Our trip up to Vermont for a nephew's wedding, my parents drove out to visit us for a week, and my summary of Bourbon Heritage Month.  

Reviewing the unexpectedly strong response to the podcast going public, (and learning that sometimes things are worded exactly the way I meant them).  Catching up on some long overdue house decluttering.  And getting ready for my parents to visit.

Recap of a rather chill week with the kids clearly getting used to school schedules.  Saturday morning travel soccer in Delaware.

Considering finally going public about recording and publishing these episodes and why I hope no one really listens to a couple of them.  All part of the journey I guess.

A breakdown of my normal-state personality traits and how they creates a surprising clash with how I need to operate on a day-to-day basis as well as a longer term basis.  

Run-down of our vacation to DisneyWorld and Universal.

Brief history of the disaster show that was summer vacation 2023.

The gifts the universe gave us upon our return home.  

Discussing my issues with navigating the proper levels of discipline with our kids and whether or not some of our younger's issues are my fault. 

Dealing with my misguided thoughts on where my career should go against the realities of where it needs to go.