I'm just going to leave this here where I can find it later.

I'm just going to leave this here where I can find it later.

Last night's statistics.

One couple with a toddler who won't remember anything. But he was very cute in his cat In The Hat costume.

4 teens, only one of which bothered with a costume. They very pleasant and polite so it's fine.

2 sets of parents who left the kids in the car and came to the door for candy. I really should have told them to bugger off. If the kids are tired or cranky or not into it just take them home. Just the driving in this neighborhood is ridiculous. I live in a townhouse / row house community. My property is 20 feet wide. That's not a low number for effect. That is literally the measurement on the plat.

I really can't remember the last time we had a bunch of kids in cute costumes with friendly parents stop by the house on Halloween. It has never happened in 3 different neighborhoods over our 7 Halloweens in RVA. I think I'm done. Next year maybe we will go out for some adult fun. We could also go camping. Some the campgrounds in central VA have fairly elaborate Halloween celebrations.

Phone: Ring ring. (my ring tone is an old school mechanical phone ringer)

Me: Hello. Chris speaking.

Caller: Hi Chris, this is Mark Warner calling from DC.

And that is how my call with Senator Mark Warner started. He was doing a call blitz to constituents and my email a few weeks ago urging him to keep fighting to protect the tax credits got me on the call list. We only talked about 3 minutes, but I learned that he has a daughter with Type 1 diabetes so he understands the expense of managing that disease.

So do you have an extra $1300 a month for health insurance?

The answer for most people to that question is a resounding no. However, it's a question I'm forced to deal with as that is the increase in my health insurance premium for 2026. My health insurance premium and my mortgage are now within 5% of each other. That means in 2027 it's likely that my insurance premium will exceed my housing cost.

I'm better off than most. Even though our savings have taken a hit this year as I worked through 2 layoffs in 7 months and then started my own business, I'm actually in okay shape. My consulting business is doing good and if not for the health insurance thing I'd be comfortable about my personal financial situation for 2026.

Instead, after spending a morning doing cash flow projections for next year, I'm resigned to 2026 being a year of getting by, which in this economy is probably still an achievement. To be clear, by "getting by" I mean living a normal middle class life. I've still got money in the budget for date nights, dining out occasionally, weekends in the camper, etc. But I probably won't be rebuilding my savings or making up for this lost year of retirement savings. And I'm certainly not planning a 2-week trip to Europe. Although I probably should be looking into moving to Europe, or South America, or somewhere. 120 years ago my great-grandfather left Ireland to come to America for more opportunity. In 2026, it's not clear that America is a land of opportunity for anyone other than right wing grifters and corrupt religious leaders. Or are those the same thing?

What I'm really lacking in 2026 is flexibility. If the shits hit the fan again in my life I don't have the flexibility to deal with it because no matter what, I have to shell out $2155 for health insurance every month. I could zero out everything in the Wants budget of my life, but the main lesson we took from my wife's cancer in 2017 is to not be so worried about the future that we forget to live in the present.

I know that given the number of people who will simply have to abandon health insurance and the millions and millions that didn't have savings or insurance in the first place, I really shouldn't be complaining. But I am.

Phone: Ring ring. (my ring tone is an old school mechanical phone ringer)

Me: Hello. Chris speaking.

Caller: Hi Chris, this is Mark Warner calling from DC.

And that is how my call with Senator Mark Warner started. He was doing a call blitz to constituents and my email a few weeks ago urging him to keep fighting to protect the tax credits got me on the call list. We only talked about 3 minutes, but I learned that he has a daughter with Type 1 diabetes so he understands the expense of managing that disease.

So do you have an extra $1300 a month for health insurance?

The answer for most people to that question is a resounding no. However, it's a question I'm forced to deal with as that is the increase in my health insurance premium for 2026. My health insurance premium and my mortgage are now within 5% of each other. That means in 2027 it's likely that my insurance premium will exceed my housing cost.

I'm better off than most. Even though our savings have taken a hit this year as I worked through 2 layoffs in 7 months and then started my own business, I'm actually in okay shape. My consulting business is doing good and if not for the health insurance thing I'd be comfortable about my personal financial situation for 2026.

Instead, after spending a morning doing cash flow projections for next year, I'm resigned to 2026 being a year of getting by, which in this economy is probably still an achievement. To be clear, by "getting by" I mean living a normal middle class life. I've still got money in the budget for date nights, dining out occasionally, weekends in the camper, etc. But I probably won't be rebuilding my savings or making up for this lost year of retirement savings. And I'm certainly not planning a 2-week trip to Europe. Although I probably should be looking into moving to Europe, or South America, or somewhere. 120 years ago my great-grandfather left Ireland to come to America for more opportunity. In 2026, it's not clear that America is a land of opportunity for anyone other than right wing grifters and corrupt religious leaders. Or are those the same thing?

What I'm really lacking in 2026 is flexibility. If the shits hit the fan again in my life I don't have the flexibility to deal with it because no matter what, I have to shell out $2155 for health insurance every month. I could zero out everything in the Wants budget of my life, but the main lesson we took from my wife's cancer in 2017 is to not be so worried about the future that we forget to live in the present.

I know that given the number of people who will simply have to abandon health insurance and the millions and millions that didn't have savings or insurance in the first place, I really shouldn't be complaining. But I am.

Last night's statistics.

One couple with a toddler who won't remember anything. But he was very cute in his cat In The Hat costume.

4 teens, only one of which bothered with a costume. They very pleasant and polite so it's fine.

2 sets of parents who left the kids in the car and came to the door for candy. I really should have told them to bugger off. If the kids are tired or cranky or not into it just take them home. Just the driving in this neighborhood is ridiculous. I live in a townhouse / row house community. My property is 20 feet wide. That's not a low number for effect. That is literally the measurement on the plat.

I really can't remember the last time we had a bunch of kids in cute costumes with friendly parents stop by the house on Halloween. It has never happened in 3 different neighborhoods over our 7 Halloweens in RVA. I think I'm done. Next year maybe we will go out for some adult fun. We could also go camping. Some the campgrounds in central VA have fairly elaborate Halloween celebrations.

It seems to happen frequently — though never intentionally — that I end up pairing cigars and libations with color-coordinated labeling. One recent example was the Calumet Farm 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey alongside the L’Atelier LAT56 cigar. I didn’t even notice the matching aesthetics until I was taking the requisite Instagram photo.

In truth, the choice had nothing to do with appearances. Both had simply been sitting around far too long without the attention they deserved. I smoked one of the LAT56s shortly after picking them up in August of last year, and the bourbon bottle had been gathering dust since mid-2023.

The Calumet Farm bourbon was one I purchased on a trip a few years ago and enjoyed before it eventually migrated to the back of the shelf. Pulling it out again reminded me how pleasant it is. Bottled at 100 proof, this 10-year-old bourbon offers a well-balanced mix of vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch as its core flavors. A mild spice with hints of honey and fruit sweetness rounds out the sip. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable “classic” bourbon profile.

The L’Atelier LAT56, a creation of Pete Johnson of Tatuaje fame, is a hefty 6 ½ x 56 cigar that somehow feels even larger in hand. This limited-production stick features an Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus wrapper — a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro — over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The smooth roll and gold band give it an understated elegance.

The cigar opens with a mix of pepper and nutty cocoa and maintains that flavor balance consistently throughout the smoke. It’s a solid medium-bodied cigar with a steady burn and satisfying smoke output. 

The pairing of the LAT56 and the Calumet Farm bourbon proved to be an unexpectedly delightful match. By the end of the nearly two-hour session, I decided both deserved a spot closer to the front of my stash so they wouldn’t be forgotten again anytime soon.

Cheers!

It seems to happen frequently — though never intentionally — that I end up pairing cigars and libations with color-coordinated labeling. One recent example was the Calumet Farm 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey alongside the L’Atelier LAT56 cigar. I didn’t even notice the matching aesthetics until I was taking the requisite Instagram photo.

In truth, the choice had nothing to do with appearances. Both had simply been sitting around far too long without the attention they deserved. I smoked one of the LAT56s shortly after picking them up in August of last year, and the bourbon bottle had been gathering dust since mid-2023.

The Calumet Farm bourbon was one I purchased on a trip a few years ago and enjoyed before it eventually migrated to the back of the shelf. Pulling it out again reminded me how pleasant it is. Bottled at 100 proof, this 10-year-old bourbon offers a well-balanced mix of vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch as its core flavors. A mild spice with hints of honey and fruit sweetness rounds out the sip. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable “classic” bourbon profile.

The L’Atelier LAT56, a creation of Pete Johnson of Tatuaje fame, is a hefty 6 ½ x 56 cigar that somehow feels even larger in hand. This limited-production stick features an Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus wrapper — a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro — over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The smooth roll and gold band give it an understated elegance.

The cigar opens with a mix of pepper and nutty cocoa and maintains that flavor balance consistently throughout the smoke. It’s a solid medium-bodied cigar with a steady burn and satisfying smoke output. 

The pairing of the LAT56 and the Calumet Farm bourbon proved to be an unexpectedly delightful match. By the end of the nearly two-hour session, I decided both deserved a spot closer to the front of my stash so they wouldn’t be forgotten again anytime soon.

Cheers!