How I Voted in Election 2024

I just voted.  I always share how I'm voting, because I usually get a few people asking me.  And I'm proud to cast my vote and show my support to those I want to hold office.  

Question: Should Indiana Remove Superintendent of Public Instruction from Gubernatorial Line of Succession? YES

Federal

President:  Donald Trump and JD Vance

US Senate:  Jim Banks

US Congress:  Did not vote

State

Governor: Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith

Attorney General: Todd Rokita

House:  Ryan Lauer

Local:  Bartholomew County

County Commissioners:  Larry Kleinhenz, Tony London, Michael Bell, Kim Bennett, Marcus Speer

School Board:  Tom Glick, Samantha Ison, David Theile

I recommend voting early to protect your voting power.  If you wait until election day you run the risk that there might be bad weather keeping you from the polls.  There could be problems at your polling place that will not allow you to vote.  You could be sick on election day.  Vote early to make sure your voice is heard.

Your Name.

Your Name is an Anime that in my opinion is not only the best Anime film I've seen, but also for me a top ten movie all time.  This movie is better than anything coming from Disney.  The story is fun, unique, and beautiful.  You will laugh, cry, and be on the edge of your seat.  The visuals are absolutely wonderful and amazing.  You will not feel you are watching an animated movie.  If you have never watched an Anime, this is the perfect first movie. I honestly can't recommend this movie more and wish for anyone to enjoy it.

Suzume

Suzume comes from the creator of Your Name. This is a beautiful Anime with a brilliant story, the visuals are better than most CGI movies, and the voice acting is top notch.  The movie is heartfelt and so emotional.  The action is really cool and it is funny when needed.  This is a great movie for those that love Anime and those that have never seen an Anime.  I highly recommend.

Am I Racist?

Am I Racist? Is the new comedy documentary by Matt Walsh and the DailyWire.  This movie is both funny and serious.  The topic is a serious one and it deals with those who use race, racism, and white guilt to grift people.  Matt does a great job of tolling these people, by allowing them to say what they believe.  Matt also has the ability to remaining in character of a DEI expert, even when these people are saying outrageous stuff.  Honestly this was one of the funniest movies I've seen in some time.  But there were also really important moments that remind us that while we look different we are all the same.  We are all humans and if we truly want to end racism we just need more love.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

This movie was a complete mess.  The story was all over the place and it was trying too hard to get everyone screen time.  There were characters that weren't even needed and side storied that were dumb.  And what was most weird is that they overused Beetlejuice. His entrance was underwhelming and most of his screen time was wasted. I've never watched a movie and thought, "I miss Alec Baldwin." The movie was also not funny.  There were only a few jokes that landed.  The movie also used CGI too much and tried too hard to be gross.  Overall a very poor movie that wasn't needed at all.

Whiskey I've Owned and My Infinity Bottle

Ranking Whiskey I've Owned:

1.  Travellers Whiskey

2.  Larceny Small Batch Bourbon

3.  Eagle Rare Aged 10 Years Bourbon 

4.  Angel's Envy Straight Bourbon

5.  Blanton's Single Barrell Bourbon 

6.  King's Creek Black Label Whiskey

7.  Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon

8.  Nelson's Green Brier Whiskey

9.  Angel's Envy Single Barrell

10.  Old Forester Straight Bourbon 

11.  Bear Wallow Indiana 46

12.  Weller Special Reserve

13.  Nelson's Bros Reserve Bourbon

14.  Kaigan Japanese Whisky

15.  Toki Suntory Whisky

16.  Bear Wallow Gnaw Bone Bourbon

17.  Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye

18.  Benchmark Full Proof

19.  Rossville Union Straight Rye

20.  Tradewater Kentucky Straight Bourbon

21.  Jim Beam Bourbon

22.  Liar's Bench Straight Rye Whiskey

23.  Kanekou Okinawa Whisky

This is my Infinity Bottle:

Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon 

Larceny Small Batch Bourbon 

Bear Wallow Gnaw Bone Bourbon 

Nelson's Green Brier Whiskey 

Toki Suntory Whiskey

Angel's Envy Straight Bourbon 

Benchmark Full Proof

Old Forester Straight Bourbon 

King's Creek Black Label Whiskey 

Rossville Union Straight Rye

Jim Beam Bourbon

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye

Travellers Whiskey

Over The Top Double Elimination

The Stallone movie Over The Top is a fun movie about Arm Wrestling.  In the movie there is an Arm Wrestling tournament that takes place in Las Vegas.  The tournament is a double elimination tournament and for some reason people are confused how it works.  SPOILER Alert in the final match Stalllone's character Hawk beats Bull.  Hawk had lost one match, but Bull hadn't lost a match.  His only loss was the final match against Hawk.  People think Hawk should have to beat Bull twice to win.  But that isn't how all double elimination tournaments work.  

A double elimination tournament can mean you have to lose 2 times before the final rounds to be out of the tournament. Usually, once you get to the semi finals or finals, it is one and done. The reason you do a tournament this way is so the tournament isn't over after just a few rounds. Plus, you got guys coming from all over the world. Who wants to have 1 match, lose, and then it is over.  Instead it gives guys the chance to at least have 2 matches.  By changing to a single elimination in the final round or rounds it creates even more excitement and you don't have a situation where one guy has to win two times in a row while the other only has to win once.

I was a wrestler in high school, and we had double elimination tournaments. So you keep wrestling until you lost twice, then when you got down to the last 4 guys (which I believe is the same case in the movie), it became 1 and done. A winner takes all final. It can get complicated to know who you match against after each round, but there is a crew that is keeping it organized and telling everyone who goes against who. Sometimes, if you won your first couple matches, you'd get a bye, so you get to skip a round because you haven't lost.  When I was a wrestler in high school, if I got to the championship match and had one lose and the other guy was undefeated, I didn't have to beat him twice. It was a winner take all in the last match. 

The format in Over The Top and the final match makes perfect sense if you understand the rules of a tournament. Even if in most arm wrestling tournaments today in their double elimination tournament, Hawk would have to best Bull twice, that doesn't mean all double elimination tournaments work that way.

The movie can set any rules and tournament style it wants. Clearly, the rules of the tournament made it one and done at the end. Even if we, as the audience, didn't hear them say it, the outcome tells us it is true. Because the tournament organizers and Bull all recognize Hawk as the winner. It is a 90-minute movie, and they aren't going to explain in detail the tournament format. They tell you double elimination for the story. They need Hawk to lose one match to create drama.  

So again, I'm not sure of the confusion. It's a movie, not a documentary. A double elimination tournament where the finial round or rounds become single elimination is not only possible but also used in many tournaments.

Trump vs Harris Platforms

Trump Platform 

1. Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion.

2. Carry out the largest deportation operation in american history.

3. End inflation, and make america affordable again.

4. Make america the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!

5. STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER.

6. Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!

7. Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms.

8. Prevent world war three, restore peace in europe and in the middle east, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in america.

9. End the weaponization of government against the american people.

10. Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders.

11. Rebuild our cities, including washington dc, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.

12. Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world.

13. Keep the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency.

14. Fight for and protect social security and medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age.

15. Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations.

16. Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.

17. Keep men out of women's sports.

18. Deport pro-hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.

19. Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship.

20. Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success.

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/platform

You can read the details by downloading the Republican Party Platform from this website for more details.

Harris Platform 

If you go to the Harris campaign website there is no platform page.  If you can find it let me know.

https://kamalaharris.com/

But if you want to know her policies based on what she has supported in the past check out this website.  It was made by Republicans and all it does is give you her policies from what she has supported. 

https://www.kamala2024policies.com/

1.  Fighting to Set Murderers Free.  Kamala Harris supported the Minnesota Freedom Fund, helping to bail out now-convicted murderers and violent criminals.

2.  More “Bidenomics”—it’s “Working,” Rising Costs are Nothing to Worry About!  Harris was the deciding vote on the inflation-fueling $1.9 trillion “stimulus.”

3.  More Taxes to Ensure the Middle-Class Pays Their “Fair Share."  Kamala Harris wants to eliminate the Trump tax cuts, which would mean a massive tax hike on middle-income families.

4. Abolish Borders.  Kamala Harris said illegal aliens "are not criminals,” and Harris opposed measures to increase border security and decrease illegal immigration.

5. Bring Back the Green New Deal.  During her campaign for president, Harris said “there’s no question, I’m in favor of banning fracking. She also touted an agreement to phase out fossil fuels, supported cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline, which killed 11,000 jobs, and Harris called the record-high gas prices seen under the Biden administration the “price to pay for democracy.”

6. Kamala Believes in Freedom for Individuals Associated with Violent Behavior. (Formally Referred to as Violent Criminals)  Harris supports defunding the police. As even CNN reports, her record supporting defund the police is a long one. She said it is “outdated, it is wrongheaded thinking to think” that more police officers make communities safer, and Harris has repeatedly called to “reimagine” the role of police.

7. Ending “Wrongheaded Thinking” That More Police Mean Safer Communities.  Kamala Harris was proud to join the Defund The Police movement in 2020. She boldly said the protests “should not” let up and applauded then-L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti for defunding the LA Police.

8. Eliminate Private Health Insurance.  Harris supports abolishing private insurance. She even cosponsored Bernie Sanders’ $32 trillion socialist health care takeover bill.  When asked about her plan, and specifically on if people who like their plan could keep it, she said “let’s eliminate all of that."

9. Give Social Security and Medicare to Illegal Aliens.  During the Harris-Biden administration seniors saw the largest ever Medicare Part B premium increase in 2022, jumping 14.5 percent.  Democrats still have NO PLAN to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits — and that tells you all you need to know, especially since Harris wants to give benefits to tens of millions of illegal aliens, which would destroy the program entirely.

To be fair you could read the Democrat Party Platform.  But if this platform is the Harris platform why isn't it on her website.   Below is the platform link. 

https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/

Hawaii Trip Planning

Here are my tips for planning a trip to Hawaii, Oahu/Waikiki. These tips are basically for couples.  Let me start by saying that while I planned some of the trip I did use my friend Carmen Stieringer with Simply Magical Vacations to help with our travel arrangements.  So I recommend using her for your vacation plans to Hawaii, Disney, and other locations. 

1.  Hotel:  We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott in Waikiki.  This hotel is centered in Waikiki within walking distance to every beach in Waikiki and all the major shopping centers.  Plus there are plenty of great places to eat within a 5 to 10 minute walk.  The rooms are small, but shower has good water pressure, the bed was comfortable and the room was clean.  We had a nice balcony that we would sit on in the morning to enjoy coffee and breakfast.  The pool area was like a private oasis.   It was shaded by palm trees and had plenty of seating.  It was a great place to go after the beach when you still wanted to be outside, but didn't want the direct sunlight and crowds of the beach.  This is an affordable hotel and we loved our stay.

2.  Air Travel:  I was really worried about flying to Hawaii.  In total you will be on a plane around 8+ hours.  So, I recommend flying with a major airline like United, Delta, American, or Southwest.  They are going to be much better than the cheap airlines.  We flew with United.  We liked the planes and the staff, but the app is a little confusing.   When I checked-in the night before our flight home we discovered that we had not assigned Jenny a seat.  And there were no seats next to me to choose, so I ended up have to upgrade to Plus seating.  And even then on the flight from Hawaii to Denver the best I could do was get her a seat right behind me.  This mistake did cost us an extra $270.  We also paid the baggage fee twice.  But luckily when I called customer service they were nice enough to reimburse this extra fee.  And when leaving Hawaii get to the airport a little earlier, so you can check out the botanica garden at the airport.  It's really cool. And I recommend wearing compression socks when flying.  

3.  Transportation:  I do recommend getting a rental car for at least part of the trip. We had ours for 2 days.  Because parking is expensive and parking spaces are small don't get anything too big.  We got a Chevy Camero Convertible and it was perfect for driving around the island.  But once you've had a chance to drive around the island return your rental car and focus the rest of the trip in Waikiki where you can walk anywhere you need.  

4.  Places to Drive:  Here are the places and sites you will want to be able to drive to while in Oahu, Hawaii. I highly recommend the Byodo-In Temple.  It is a beautiful and peaceful site located in the back of a cemetery that has grave markers from different religions. Plan to spend about an hour there.  Drive along the coast line on the HI-83.  You will see plenty of beaches and mountains and you'll be able to pull off to take pictures.  Next you'll want to visit Waimea Valley and hike along the paved trail to the waterfall.  You'll see many beautiful plants and landscapes.  This is an easy hike anyone can do.  You should plan to spend 2 hours there, but could do longer if you want.  Then you'll want to drive to the North Shore and the town if Halwwia.  This is a surfer town with shops and restaurants and food trucks.  Walk along the street and enjoy this tourist town.  Get a shave ice at Matsumoto Shave Ice.  Plan for 2 to 3 hours.  Finally make your way to the Dole Plantation and try an authentic Pineapple Whip.  The grounds are beautiful and the gift shop has lots to choose.  I'd say plan on an hour.  Other places I'd recommend driving to is the Halona Blowhole Lookout and the Amelia Earhart Marker.  Both are great places to stop and take pictures.  This will also take you around Diamond Head.  Along this route you will get plenty of chances to see beautiful beaches, mountains, and the ocean. Diamond Head is also very popular to hike, bur we are much for hiking and decided to pass.

5.  Pearl Harbor:  Pearl Harbor is a must do.  It is a sobering place that will stir a lot of emotions.  I recommend going as part of a small tour.  We were with 2 other couples in a luxury van.  Our tour guide picked us up at the hotel and took us to Pearl Harbor.  Along the way he pointed out historical sites.  After Pearl Harbor our tour driver took us around Honolulu showing us more historical sites and stories behind them.  We also went into the Punch Bowl Crater which is a memorial site for soldiers.  Please remember to tip your driver at the end.

6.  Luau:  Some research we did said a Luau was too expensive and too touristy.   We went to the Luau at Paradise Cove and loved it.  It was worth every penny.  The food was very good especially the roasted pork.  The show was beautiful, exciting, and fun.  Unlike some other laua I saw and researched Paradise Cove felt more real and not like a tourist trap. The entire area was next to the ocean and it felt like a private island. There were activities, shows, and a gift shop.  I think if you are going to Hawaii for the first time you must do a Luau and I highly recommend Paradise Cove.  

7.  Restaurants in Waikiki:  Leonard's Bakery for malasadas (Portuguese donuts), Donut King for more traditional donuts (super good).  Marugame Udon for a truly authentic udon made on-site experience, but know it is always busy.  For a more upscale experience in dining consider Duke's Restaurant, but pass on the salad bar.  If you want to try a few different places at one location check out the food court at the Royal Hawaiian Center.  It's an upscale shopping center and the food court has some really good choices like L&L Hawaiian, 206 BCE, and Poke Waikiki. Another place to get food especially for lunch you can bring to the beach are the ABC Stores.  They are on every corner and a good place to find souvenirs and other things you might need like sunscreen. We got Shave Ice at 4 locations in Hawaii.  1 at the North Shore and then 3 more in Waikiki.  And all 4 were different.  I do recommend Ice Monster and Lahaina Shave Ice in Waikiki.  Both different and awesome. 

8.  Shopping:  First, when you get to Hawaii go to Walmart. Get some bottle water, snacks, and a couple of folding chairs that you can use on the beach.  We found chairs for only $11 and on our last day we gave them away to some people on the beach.  Now for some more fun shopping check out the 2 main open air shopping centers in Waikiki:  the International Marketplace and the Royal Hawaiian Center.  You'll also want to check out Duke's Marketplace.  It's down a little alley filled with stalls of shops that have all kinds of Hawaiian souvenirs and wears.  What's great about Waikiki shopping is there are places that have more moderate priced items and high end stores too. 

9.  Beaches:  There are beaches all around Oahu, but we stuck to the beaches in Waikiki.  While driving we stopped and took pictures of some beaches.  From our hotel we were able to walk in less than 10 minutes to 3 different beaches in Waikiki.  Waikiki has 2 miles of beaches and they are all a little different.  The first we went to was the beach on the Fort DeRussy Boardwalk behind the Hawaii Army Museum.  It is less crowded and very close to the ocean.  There are also picnic tables behind the beach.  The beach is a little more rocky especially in the water.  Next we went to the actual Fort DeRussy Beach a little further down closer to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  This is a larger beach area with soft white sands.  The water is clear and the sand is clear of rocks.  The water is mostly calm for the ocean.  It is a busy beach with lots of people, but we were able to find a spot with no trouble and had more than enough room. We saw an amazing sunset on this beach. This is also a great beach to be on Friday night to watch a free fireworks show.  The last beach we went to was Kuhio Beach.  This beach is cool because the water here gets more waves, so you'll see a lot of surfers.  The water is more active with more waves making it lots of fun.  The beach is busy, but again we had no trouble finding a spot.  

10. What to Avoid:  The Honolulu Zoo was very small and how it was set up we weren't able to see a lot of animals.  It's not a bad zoo, but there are better.  Don't waste a lot of money on alcohol.  Alcoholic beverages are very expensive and they aren't any better than what you can get at any other bar.  We didn't drink a lot, but looking back I wished we'd just saved our money considering the expense.  

11.  Misc:  Expect to do a lot of walking, but take your time.  Things do move slower.  What I found interesting about the other tourists there is how happy and laid back everyone was during our visit.  Everyone just seems to be having a good time.  Make sure you have cash as some places don't take cards and you'll need it for tips.  If you are just going to visit Oahu I would plan on spending at least 5 to 6 nights.  We stayed 6 nights and it was the perfect amount.  If you want to visit other islands you'll want to add at least 3 to 4 more nights.  Also don't sleep in or stay up too late.  Go to bed at a reasonable time and get up early.  So much to do and see don't waste the daylight.

12.  Budget:  Whatever you spend on the hotel and airfare plan and spending that much when you get to Hawaii. Then add an extra $1000 just in case.  Hawaii is not cheap, but it is worth it. 

Reagan

If you are a fan of President Ronald Reagan or you like biopic movies you should love this movie.  It tells the story of Reagan's life from the point of view of the Soviet Union.  There are many good performances especially from the leads Dennis Quaid as Reagan and Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan.  There was also an amazing short performance from Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner.  The movie does a great job of not just telling a story in one direction, but tells you about major moments in Reagan's life.   The focus of the movie is really about Reagan's passion to stop the Soviet Union.  The movie keeps you engaged and interested.  There is also a great cameo from the lead singer of Creed Scott Stapp singing as Frank Sinatra.