Monday Musings - October 12, 2026

 1. Happy Columbus Day, Indigenous People's Day, or whatever it is called now. It is the second Monday of October! Wow. The month is cruising along and there are only 11 Mondays remaining in the year. 

Osprey outside the Window
Tequesta, FL
October 11, 2026

2. The bird outside our window. Yesterday during a drenching thunderstorm, Chris and I went to the veranda to check on the storm and were startled to see an osprey sitting in a tree very close to our condo. We enjoy seeing ospreys when we are at the beach or boating, but have never seen one perch on the treeling behind the condo. It was easy to assess that the bird was seeking cover during the storm. It remained for a while before flying away.

3. Family NFL Results. It was a another less than satisfying weekend for most of the family teams. The teams went 2-2-1 for the weekend and now post a 14-14-1 record for the season. 

Ravens (4-1) soared over Falcons (2-3), 30-23

Steelers (3-2) trample Colts  (2-3), 34-22

Commanders (1-3-1) snatched a tie from the jaws of victory against the Giants (3-1-1), 27-27 

Cowboys (2-3)  were outgunned by Buccaneers (1-4), 16-24

Dolphins (0-5) lost again to Bengals (3-2), 24-31

Chiefs (4-0) BYE

4. Revered or Reviled? Apparently, our President is more concerned about putting his name on everything he can than with how history will remember him. His temper tantrum for not winning the Nobel Prize was classic. I know that I am looking forward to the day when governmental business is no longer conducted via social media. His quest for accolades and awards reminded me of something General Patton is quoted as saying: 

“For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.” (Highlighting mine)

5. Today in History. After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sights a Bahamian island on October 12, 1492, believing he has reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. Little is known of his early life, but he worked as a seaman and then a maritime entrepreneur. He became obsessed with the possibility of pioneering a western sea route to Cathay (China), India, and the gold and spice islands of Asia. At the time, Europeans knew no direct sea route to southern Asia, and the route via Egypt and the Red Sea was closed to Europeans by the Ottoman Empire, as were many land routes.

Ukraine accuses Russia of violating Trump's energy ceasefire - Reuters

Six reasons Democrats may fall short of a midterm landslide - Reuters

Closure of Riyadh airport extended after deadly Houthi strikes - Reuters

China's tax crackdown piles pressure on luxury brands as US spending falters - Reuters

Trump backlash stokes GOP fears of a midterm wipeout - CNN

A megadrought has drained the nation’s largest water reservoir by 70% - CNN

European troops arrive in Greenland as Trump targets allies with new tariff threats - MS Now

‘Wow!’: Trump snaps after losing out on Nobel Peace Prize again - MS Now

Elon Musk Flooded Republican Groups With $276 Million in Rescue Mission for G.O.P. - The New York Times

Kremlin rejects 60-day truce offer and refuses to comment on Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ - The Guardian

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Weekends are for Sports

 

Georgia Defeats Alabama 20-17
Tuscaloosa, AL
October 10, 2026
(Butch Dill/Getty Images)

As Thursday slides into Friday and the start of the weekend, my autumn attention turns to sports. There are so many opportunities with the NFL, college football, NHL, MLB Playoffs, Premier League. I get overloaded sometimes. 

I stay up too late and then cannot get to sleep because of the game's ending. 

Things have been crazy since Wednesday night. 

The Yankees lost (yay!)

Dallas lost.

Arsenal won.

Syracuse, Maryland and USF lost. 

Georgia won in a wild ending. 

Ravens play today without Lamar.

Penguins lost twice.

The Dolphins will likely go to 0-5 today.

More MLB playoffs!

And those are just the games I have an interest in!

There is so much!

I am glad that I am retired and do not have to go to work in the morning. And because I was up late last night watching Georgia win, I decided not to ride my bike this morning. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

What does it Mean?

Secretary Mullins Spewing Lies
October 9, 2026

 I watched the press conference with Homeland Secretary Mark Mullins yesterday. I was appalled at the shooting in NYC the day before and I wanted to hear the Secretary's spin.

And there was spin.

Secretary Mullins missed the point! He spent time making a false analogy with the stabbing of a NY Police Department a few weeks ago. He spewed factual untruths and frankly, I am really tired of having to fact check everything that our leaders, appointed and elected, spew.

The protests were not about the fact of the arrest. The concern was not about whether the arrest was legal. It was about the manner of the arrest and possible Constitutional issues.

Consider this. I believe the suspect might have been a victim of entrapment. A group of men dressed as construction workers, wearing masks and lacking any identifying information that would indicate their police affiliation, surrounded a person with suspected gang affiliations and with a criminal record, attempting to detain him. I understand the fight or flight response. He attempted to flee and protect his five-year-old child. Furthermore, it was on a busy street and multiple shots were fired. 

The problem, fundamentally, is the manner of the apprehension. The optics are bad and the leadership is blind! In a similar position, I believe I would try to flee as well. And that is the standard, is it not? What would be the response of a normal, mostly rational person be facing a possible abduction my unknown individuals with your child in the backseat?

Mullins' Lapel Pin
October 9, 2026 Press Conference

If only that were the sole concern raised during the press conference. I am genuinely more troubled by the treasonous pin worn by the Secretary on his lapel. This pin defiles the American flag and apparently shows allegiance to a specific individual. The numeral 47 is prominently displayed on the flag, which is undoubtedly a cause for concern.

I snapped the image from my television and I had to sharpen it to show the pin as I saw it on my TV.

This is scary to me and I wonder, What does it Mean?

This press conference highlights much are bigger concerns than just the Constitutional issues associated with the arrest. 

- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Why did I do That?

A Calm and Peaceful View
Loxahatchee River North Fork
Tequesta, FL'
October 7, 2026

 Yesterday became a disaster. 

I did not intend for three dissimilar appointments to create an incredible amount of tension, but they did.

In an effort to get everything accomplished, the resulting conflicts and resulting tension was all my fault. 

The two appointments which became most tangled were Chris to the dentist and the Ford dealership coming to perform a software update on the Mach-e to clear a safety recall. In position three was the completion of our impact window installation, a project that started during February. 

My Truck
Elkridge, MD
April 22, 202

I believed that I had deconflicted the events by planning to leave the key in the Mach-e for the Ford technician while we went to the dentist. We would use the truck to travel to the dentist. 

Enter the wild card!

I did not plan for the truck to not start because it had remined unused for almost four weeks. That situation threw the morning into disorder.

Initially I thought "no problem," I have a portable battery booster. Which was great, except that I had not checked it in a long while and it was discharged and would not start the truck! Ugh. What to do? Time was critical at this point. We took the car to the dental appointment arriving with five minutes to spare. The Ford dealership had a wide window and I hoped the dental appointment would conclude before their planned arrival. 

The good news was the window technician called and confirmed he would be arriving outside of the immediate window. One possible conflict resolved. 

But nothing actually works out. Within minutes of arriving at the dentist, the Ford technician called and told me he would be arriving in about 15 minutes. I left Chris and raced back to the house to meet him. 

I thought I might be able to use my trickle charger to start the truck and return to Chris at the dentist. Fortunately, the Ford technician had a booster battery and offered to help--something that actually mitigated the crisis. The truck started easily and I was elated. The next looming disaster was--what if the truck does not start at the dentist? Well, I'll call AAA. Since it started with so easily with the boost, I was confident that all of the battery cells were working and it had just discharged because we have not been driving it much due to the cost of gas--and we have a great EV.

Crisis averted, the truck started when we were ready to leave the dentist. Upon arriving home we actually had about an hour and a half before the window tech arrived. Sadly, only one of the two panes could be replaced because it started raining. That project continues unfinished. 

When the window tech departed about 1 PM, Chris and I enjoyed lunch and relaxed. We had survived the morning. 

Lesson learned.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Celebrity Beyond - Infinite Veranda is a Nook

 

Infinite Veranda
Celebrity Beyone Stateroom 12155

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the Infinite Veranda on Celebrity Beyond. 

Apparently, there are some measurement differences, maybe in the conversion from metric to imperial,  because Celebrity lists the Infinite Veranda for the stateroom in which Chris and I stayed at 42 sq ft. I measured it as just short of 30 usable sq ft. I compared the Celebrity Beyond Concierge Class stateroom we were in to a comparable stateroom on Celebrity Reflection and here is how the comparison came out:

Celebrity Beyond Stateroom 12155 is a Concierge Class cabin—about 201–202 sq. ft. inside, plus a 42 sq. ft. Infinite Veranda.

A comparable Concierge Class cabin on Celebrity Reflection is about 192–194 sq. ft. inside, plus a 53–54 sq. ft. veranda. So 12155 has roughly 8–10 sq. ft. more interior space, while Reflection’s veranda is about 11–12 sq. ft. larger.

One design difference: Beyond’s Infinite Veranda is integrated into the stateroom—the window opens to bring the outside in—while Reflection has a conventional outdoor veranda. celebritycruises.com

As can be seen from the image, the Infinite Veranda is not a veranda at all. It is windowed area at the end of the stateroom complete frosted glass folding doors. The space is not sufficient for lounge chairs or to comfortably enjoy breakfast. It is not a veranda; it is more correctly a nook. 

When the window was down with the folding doors closed, the A/C leaked out of the room. I have previously written about my angst with the window which would not go down when I desired and so I will not plow that field again. 

Another problem with the Infinite Veranda is the window shade. It is modern and nice and motorized, but has its own issues. I get up before Chris and like to sit and look out at the ocean or the port as the sun rises. With the screen open and the folding doors closed, it still gets very bright in the stateroom and that disturbs Chris. With the screen closed, I can't enjoy the morning from the nook.

Did I mention that the window was dirty and I could not take images through window? Since the window would not go down reliably, I was very frustrated.

My Opinion:

I paid for a veranda and got a nook. I feel as if I was the victim of a bait-and-switch. 

The Infinite Veranda, apparently, is designed for people who like to pay for a veranda, but probably use it once during the cruise. For people who enjoy the outdoors and sitting on the veranda for breakfast in the morning, napping in the afternoon, or staring at the moon and stars at night; the infinite veranda doesn't get the job done because it is nothing more than a window and a nook at the end of the stateroom.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Celebrity Beyond - One Particular Statue

L’Origine (“The Origin”)
by French contemporary artist Fabien Mérelle
Celebrity Beyond
September 29, 2026

 The art collection on the Celebrity Beyond is eclectic. The art is varied from paintings, to photos, to sculptures.

The signature piece in the 4,500-piece, mostly contemporary art collection is a large statue of an elephant standing on a man--in near real size. The piece is L’Origine (“The Origin”) by French contemporary artist Fabien Mérelle.

I was fascinated by this particular piece and why it was prominently placed on a cruise ship. It is huge and stunning at the same time. Why is a white elephant standing on the shoulders a man?

Coincidentally, during the Chef's Table discussion about the meal with the head chef, I asked about the theme that tied all of the dishes together and what the chef was trying to help us understand or experience? Sadly, the head chef on the ship had not had this discussion with Daniel Boulud, the master chef who created the meal.

But why such a statue on a cruise ship? It makes sense. The original is installed on a beach near Le Harve, France.

One interpretation of the statue is:

The piece reflects Mérelle's exploration of themes related to religion and the human experience. It serves as a metaphor for the burdens that individuals carry, particularly in relation to faith and belief systems.

This sculpture is a notable example of contemporary art that engages with deep philosophical questions through visual representation. (Jaques Bravo) (Chat GPT)

Why a cruise ship? 

Cruising, especially Sea Days, provide the perfect opportunity to tune out the world and deal with the crushing issues that the elephant represents, or just escape from them for a moment. 

Who knew cruising could be so deep an undertaking?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL