Mermaid Ally

My closest friends know I have a totem, a spirit guide. An archetype that connects to me on a deep level. My totem is the mermaid.

A dear friend, Suzanne, just sent me the mermaid item shown above. It delights me. She also sent me a mermaid pin. Friends like Suzanne are precious gems: they see you for who you are and offer real support.

Tomorrow I'm going to wear a dress found shopping with Sheila in Victoria. To accent it, I'll wear a big, colorful mermaid necklace. The dress is pretty but plain; the necklace spices it up to the max. Their combination expresses me perfectly.

The first known mermaid stories appeared in Assyria around 1000 BC. Goddess Atargatis, mother of Queen Semiramis, loved a mortal man and accidentally killed him. Ashamed, Atargatis jumped into a lake and took the form of a fish -- but the waters could not conceal her divine beauty. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid, human above the waist and fish below.

Do you like mermaids?

The Only Way To Fly

I never thought I'd own my own private jet -- but that was before Bitcoin. Now I don't have to endure crowds, airport lines and waiting with the hoi polloi.

Just kidding! My friend Jason is a commercial pilot and today he showed me one of the places he works (Republic Airport in Farmingdale). Jason escorted me "behind the curtain" into restricted areas open only to those with visible credentials. We inspected a variety of private aircraft and had lunch. Jason is one of the coolest dudes around and knowing him has perks. :)

Sheila's View

Sheila did a nice blog-post on her view of our time together. It's here. Go take a look.

More Victoria

Canadians give me hope for the future of our species. In public, they are polite and behave in civilized manner. This morning a group of teenage rugby-players in my hotel lined up at a coffee-stand. They paid attention and made sure everyone was being treated fairly. The idea of cutting the line (which would have been easy to pull off) was inconceivable to them. Such a contrast to many of my country's citizens.

Sheila is continuing to demonstrate her superior tour-guide talent. With supernatural ability, she reads my mind about what will make me happy and steers me to those places and activities. It's uncanny.

A delight of this trip is the wide range of experiences I'm having. Seeing natural beauty, encountering wildlife, visiting natural history and art exhibitions at a phenomenal museum, and socializing with a group of friendly Canadians introduced to me by my generous host. The trip is a home-run. Or, more appropriately, a hockey goal!

Victoria

Having a great time with Sheila and Darlene!

First Big Trip of the Year

I'm heading out Thursday for my first big trip of the year. To a place called Vancouver Island which lies off the west coast of Canada. 

Vancouver Island is completely cut off from mainland Canada: there are no bridges or tunnels connecting it. The only ways to reach the island are seaplanes and ferries. The island is physically large but has only 800,000 inhabitants, half of which live in a city I'm visiting (Victoria). I'm told the natural beauty of the island is stunning.

As improbable as this sounds, I have two good friends who live there, Sheila and Darlene. The three of us will gather on Friday to meet and have fun. I'll keep you posted!

Super-Cars

Cars. They're not as exciting as motorcycles but I'm learning they do have some appeal. Especially if you take them to the racetrack.

I've picked out my next car: a McLaren 570S. Its bold styling give the beast an edge to my second-choice, the Porsche 911 GTS. Both can be driven on the street and the track. In fact, I'm heading down to Atlanta later this year to drive the Porsche at their famous private racetrack. That experience comes with an instructor who teaches you how to extract maximum performance from the vehicle.

Did you know there's a distinction between "sports cars" and "super-cars"? The former are fast vehicles; the latter are limited-production jewels hand-crafted by storied manufacturers. Super-cars are beyond the reach of most drivers: their least-expensive models run around half a million bucks.

What is the world's most expensive car? Probably the Bugatti Chiron with a price-tag of $3 Million. Despite the improbability of our ever owning one, it can be fun to admire the height of automotive art. I won't bore you with stats. Bugatti says they aren't focused on mere speed, they want to deliver an enjoyable overall experience. That said, the car can hit 261 mph before a limiter turns off power. The styling of the car is quite arresting. (See picture above.) The car doesn't come with a bodyguard but I would want one; who'd park this expensive masterpiece anywhere in public?

Bugatti has sold every Chiron it plans to build until late-2021. Who buys them? The profile is very sharp: self-made men who appreciate quality and uniqueness. The average customer already owns about 30 other cars. Obviously they are not like you and me. At least not yet...