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Buying this new M1 iMac was a mistake, and it will probably be my last Mac.

I have been a long-time Mac user (since 1984, as a matter of fact). Yes, a Mac fanboy.  When the 27-inch iMac was announced eight years ago I immediately ordered one. Shortly thereafter I bought a a second monitor – a 27-inch apple monitor with the mini display port connector.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having dual 27-inch screens, and noted a marked increase in productivity thanks to them.

That iMac was getting long in the tooth and showing signs of failure. It was clear to me that it’s days were numbered. I am disappointed that Apple no longer offers the iMac in a 27-inch version.  Only a 23-inch version is available.  Nevertheless, at the end of December I ordered one.  Since then I’ve discovered that backwards compatibility at Apple is not what it used to be.

1. My second monitor is not compatible with the new M1 iMac. The only external monitors it supports are the ones with a Thunderbolt connector. There is a Display-Port-to-Thunderbolt adapter you can buy from Apple. Despite Apple specifically saying it would not work, I tried it.  It does not work. My big beautiful 27-inch second monitor is useless.
2. Forget VMWare Fusion now. I have a client using MS-Access to run his business. I have been supporting him by running VMWare Fusion and running MS-Access in a Windows virtual machine. It worked great. My older version of Fusion (version 8, I think) will not run on the M1 iMac despite the installation of Rosetta, which is supposed to allow legacy Intel applications to run on the M1 processor. Nope.I thought, “No big deal. I’ll buy the latest version of Fusion”. I installed it. The next thing I discovered was that Fusion 13 will not run my existing Windows virtual machines. Read that again, slowly and carefully. If you have been using Windows virtual machines to support or develop Windows applications via VMWare Fusion, you are seriously out of luck.

   You can run Windows virtual machines under VMware fusion, just not x86-based virtual machines.  You can get an ARM-based version of Windows 11 and it will run just fun. Unfortunately for you, MS-Access apps will not run on it. I believe that my only choice for supporting my MS-Access client is to buy a Windows laptop.

3. I hate the new tiny USB and Thunderbolt connectors. I now need to buy adapters to connect my myriad of USB devices to my iMac.

Had I known al this I would probably have bought an Windows machine instead of the iMac. Yes, I know it is my fault for not thoroughly researching the topic. I was lulled into a false sense of security from my previous experience when Apple switched from the PowerPC processor to Intel. That transition was absolutely seamless with to hiccups whatsoever.

It seems that every winter we live here we learn something new. Two years ago, we learned to keep some rock salt and a snow shovel on hand.  Today I learned that I really do need to get a set of tire chains.

It snowed a little overnight.  Not much – about an inch. Under the snow the road is icy. A hundred yards down the road from me there is a small hill. I was not able to get the car up that little hill this morning. So currently the car is parked at the side of the road at the bottom of the hill.  I walked the hundred yard back home and hopefully things will warm up enough in a few hours that I can get up the hill.

So Eric Holder said: “Exactly when did you think America was ever great?” 

I’ll take a crack at answering that.  Here are just some random thoughts, in no particular order:

America was great when 60,000 Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy to put an end to Hitler’s tyranny.

America was great when the US Armored and Infantry Divisions liberated the Nazi concentration camps.

America was great when President Ronald Reagan said, “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

America was great when – after the end of WWII – we rebuilt western Europe under the Marshall Plan.  In terms of today’s dollars, we spent over $100 Billion doing so.

America was great when over 620,000 men died to end slavery in America.

America was great when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

America was great when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, declaring that the newly freed slaves were US citizens and protecting their rights.

America was great when it did not accept that the US Supreme Court decision Dred Scott vs Sandford (1857). was ‘settled law’  (The Dred Scott decision held that the US Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people.)

America was great when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

America was great when President John Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

America was great when a poor black girl living in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, was able to grow up to be a concert pianist, Stanford University Provost, and Secretary of State of the United States of America.

America was great when most Americans had never heard of Eric Holder. (It is helpful to remember that Eric Holder is a member in good standing of the Grievance Culture.)

Many years ago – before the term ‘Social Media’ had been invented – it existed as gathering places on the internet. We called them (and still do) forums or message boards. A forum was dedicated to a single topic and people with an interest in that topic would congregate there.

Once upon a time I owned an older Mercedes-Benz and belonged to a forum dedicated to the sharing of information about maintaining these cars. Many members of the forum were experts in this area. Some were actually certified Mercedes-Benz mechanics. If you had a question or problem with your Mercedes-Benz car, you could post it in the forum and be guaranteed of receiving several high-quality answers.

A second characteristic of that forum was that it was populated by people from all walks of life that were experts in their own field. You could ask a question about your heat pump and the ‘heat pump guys’ would answer, again with high-quality answers.

A third characteristic of that forum was that each member had a reputation. You soon learned who you could trust.

There were (and still are) thousands of forums just like that on the internet. I belong to several such forums:

• Banjo Hangout for banjo players and enthusiasts
• Nikonians for Nikon camera owners
• CastBoolits for people who cast their own lead bullets
• Acurazine for Acura owners

These topic-specific forums still exist and are still active today. These forums are still filled with polite people engaged in polite conversation.

When Facebook and Twitter first emerged, they were polite places too, but that has changed. Now it is impossible to to be on Facebook or Twitter and avoid the acrimony.

As a result, I’m finding myself gravitating back to the ‘old ways’. I’m spending more time in Nikonians, BanjoHangout, and other forums dedicated to my hobbies. I’m digging up blogs about my hobbies and using an RSS reader to read them. I’m spending less time on Facebook. And my world is a more peaceful place.

We made it. Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of moving into this house, our retirement home.  Things have worked out better than I dared to hope. I’m in a really good place right now, geographically, emotionally, and financially.  I’m now on Medicare with better coverage than I’ve ever had at a price I have not paid in ten years.

The next milestone is in three months when I’ll start drawing Social Security benefits.  That will add nicely to the monthly income.

I turned 65 a few weeks ago and am enjoying it.  Though I’ll probably never play ice hockey again I have some great memories: Playing Defense, skating backward at 30mph, matching the wingman coming at me with the puck, matching his every move, intent on driving him away from the net and into the boards. Building the airplane. Converting a carport into a garage, doing a better job than the licensed contractor across the street. Raising my son into the fine man he has become.

Having said that, all that packing and moving last year was a very pointed reminder that I am no longer 19 years old.

Last night I was talking with a new acquaintance who told me she had just turned 41.  My advice: Make Memories Now.  Make sure you dedicate some of the next 15-20 years doing things that you’ll be able to fondly look back on in later life.

I turn 65 in a few days, which means that yesterday my Medicare coverage officially began.  And I could not be happier. I worked with an insurance agency in Prescott, AZ and now have coverage that is better than I have had in decades at a price I have not paid in ten years.

When I executed the plan to sell my big house in Phoenix and move out there in the country, I was forced to take a risk: I could no longer afford the $1600/month health insurance premiums.  I switched to short term catastrophic health insurance.  It was cheap but the coverage was lousy.

I just had to make it work for a year until I could get on Medicare, and now I’m there.

And in 16 months Sweet Lady Wife will turn 65 and she’ll be on Medicare (I have her on Medi-Share now).  At that point I’ll be paying about $500/month for excellent health insurance for the two of us.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

It’s become a game: Figuring out how cheaply we can live well. Not long after we moved out here into the country, I realized that our monthly expenses are less than half of what they were in the big city. And I discovered that life here runs at a much slower more laid back pace.

A long time ago, a friend in the city was complaining that he needed some work done on this mountain cabin. He could find people who had the skills he needed, but none of them had the ‘hustle’ needed to take on the job. I understand now.  It’s called ‘working to live’, not ‘living to work’.

I’m going to apply for my Social Security benefits a few months early.  That will cover a big portion of my monthly expenses.  As a result, the amount of income I will have to generate each month will be 20%-25% of what it was a year ago. When the car and my little bit of credit card debt are paid off we can live off almost nothing, and live well.

Tonight I’m making Grilled Salmon Paella for dinner. Once a month a buy a whole side of salmon at Costco and so one night a week we have salmon.  The rest of the ingredients (rice, sausage, spices) cost next to nothing. I buy pork shoulder 15 pounds at a time and grind my own sausage. Homemade sausage ravioli becomes very inexpensive. I found a farmer up here who sells me fresh eggs for $2/dozen (less than half the cost in the supermarket).

So the question keeps popping into my mind: What else can I do differently that saves me money but still allow me to live well? I’ve found a blog, Mr. Money Mustache who has lived this quest his whole life and so I’m spending some time reading it.

I’m already thinking about putting in a pellet stove before next winter because there are a lot more BTUs per dollar from wood pellets than from electricity.