Luxury Sleeping Quarters?

September 29, 2025

Good morning! The weather right now at ~46 degrees north latitude and ~95 degrees west longitude is the reason people get romantic and all googly-eyed about autumn. Step outside; this doesn’t last forever. How was it decided to stack pumpkins upon and around an old rusted pickup truck and to have the result iconically represent autumn? Is there an ergonomic protocol for the proper placement of a toilet paper roll holder? Why then in some cases is it impossible to reach without further injuring your back?

• This is a shout-out to faithful reader and world-famous bagpiper, Paul, whom I’ve known for 51 years.
  • I have a new hero, and maybe Paul does, too?
  • Ally Crowley-Duncan is single-handedly (fingerly) reviving the popularity of the bagpipe… google her.
  • Wait, don’t google her until you’ve read to the bottom… too distracting… *
• And, for financial advice, look no further than the new 0.01% rule.
  • Go ahead and splurge if the spend is less than 0.01% of your net worth.
  • No mention is made of how many of those splurges you can make in a single day (week, month, Etc.) — or whether it’s just one and done.
  • It can’t be mathematically infinite, that’s for sure.
  • We need more information.
  • And, given that vast numbers of people have a negative net worth, are they forever relegated to non-splurging?
• In less than half a decade, China has surged from last place to first place in the worldwide passenger automobile export business.
  • Five years ago China exported fewer than 1 million passenger vehicles — and now in 2025 it is exporting more than 5.5 million vehicles worldwide.
  • Most of this meteoric increase has been market expansion, but both Japan and the United States have experienced sharp decreases over the same time period.  U.S. Census, Etc., et al.)
• For a few hours or for a few days, no trip through Ontario is complete without a (usually very regrettable) stop at a Horton Hears a Who donut shop; they’re everywhere.
  • Just learned the celebrated chain featuring fried dough chunks in a variety of shapes and sizes is named after a hockey player.
• “Chances are, most people can now name several superstar women athletes.
  • Celebrities such as Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and Simone Biles have millions of fans.
  • Women’s basketball and soccer teams routinely fill sold-out stadiums.
  • Between 2022 and 2024 revenue from women’s sports grew 4.5 times faster than that of men’s sports…
  • … billions of dollars of potential are on the table…
  • We find that women’s sports could generate at least $2.5 billion by 2030 — a 250 percent increase from the $1 billion generated in 2024.”  (VonWiller, Etc., et al., 2025)
    • Biggest barriers and challenges?  Lack of access (media coverage/ venues), and a fragmented fan base.
• If I were to attempt to teach simple Economics to a group of eager learners, I’d start with a brand spanking new tractor trailer truck, probably a diesel, and probably an International.
  • Fully loaded, these machines can cost upwards of $200,000 — but, let’s settle for something a bit more modest… $150,000.
  • Color?  Red.
  • Pipes?  Chrome.
  • Spoiler?  Yes.
  • The latest GPS system?  Yes.
  • Luxury sleeping quarters?  No… no time to sleep, gotta pay for this thing!
    • Now, trace this machine back ten years… that’s the assignment for the students.  Identify every detail needed to make this truck happen.
      • How did this tractor trailer truck come into my possession?
      • To name just a few — and to get you thinking:
      • Mechanical, design, and electrical engineers maybe?
      • Iron ore to make the steel, and coke/ carbon mining — and a factory… wait, an entire factory?  Yes.
      • Raw materials for rubber — and a factory… wait, an entire factory with workers and capital?  Yes.
        • Ten huge tires on this beast.
      • How do we make sure the lug bolts stay tight at 80 MPH?
      • Paint… red paint… where does it come from?  Do we need another factory?  Workers?  Capital?
      • Chrome… where does it come from?
      • How about plastics, alloys, fiberglass?
      • Those big diesel cylinders — and pistons — had to have been intricately machined, maybe by a robot, perhaps by a human… in a factory… wait, an entire factory?!
      • How about a foundry?  Do they still have those?  What does one cost?
      • Electronics require copper wiring… from whence comes the copper?  Wait, do we need another entire mining operation?
      • How does the copper get turned into wire from the ore in the earth, or recycled materials?  Wait, recycling?!
      • This is Year #2025, are there any computer chips or technology features in this truck?  Nvidia anyone?
      • Seats, springs, cushions, glass…
        • Wait, glass?  Where/ When/ How do we get the glass?  How do we know it will fit?
      • Does a diesel engine need electricity?  Technically, no, but how about for lights?  Auxiliary features and components?
        • Are we talking about batteries?  Whoa…
      • How about those mud flaps?
      • So far, how many humans have been involved?  Robots?  Who made the robots?  Factories?  Capital?
      • Okay, enough of looking back ten years… and at the millions of variables…
  • Now, trace this machine FORWARD:
    • We don’t have $150,000 cash, so we need financing — a bank or rich uncle or partners (there’s a whole other kettle of fish!)
    • Gotta have a trailer or it’s a pretty worthless machine only good for parades… so, we need to get a trailer — or borrow/ rent/ share/ contract with others.
    • Operate as an independent or some other model?
    • Roads.  Will I need roads?  Who builds them and maintains them?
    • Do I want to be home each night, or am I OK with long-haul?  (What are the social, emotional, intellectual, and economic consequences of that decision?)
    • Diesel fuel… how did it get to be so expensive?  It was historically cheaper than gasoline…
    • Where and how/ when do I park/ store this rig?
      • Can I afford to park it or store it at all?  Should I hire additional drivers to keep it on the road?
    • What is my business plan?
      • How will I find customers?  Who are they?  Where are they?
    • Am I my own mechanic, or do I need one (some) of those?
    • And, here’s the exponential (factorial) explosion… trace each item of cargo to its origin and the impact it had on each step along the way before it landed in your truck.
    • Taxes… what?!  Tolls… what?!
    • What in the world does FOB mean?
    • Wait… insurance?  Do I need insurance?  (Isn’t that an entirely different industry?)
    • Logistics — OMG (Warehouses, loading docks, fuel depots…)
    • What if I get sick or break a bone?  (Health Care industry, plus workers’ compensation rabbit holes..)
      • How do I stay healthy driving a truck?  Is it even possible?
    • You get the idea.
      • Think about it.
• If you’ve read this far you MIGHT be among my more faithful readers — or you just got distracted and landed here.
  • Here is the executive summary of my visit to The Mayo Clinic last week:
    • I have squished nerves in the L3, L4, and L5 areas of my lower back.
    • The squishing is quite serious — 100% in some cases.
    • Those squished nerves at one point were causing me #9 pain which has subsided (nobody knows why) over the last several months to #4 pain.
    • #4 pain is tolerable.
    • There is a 96% chance the #9 pain will not return and that slow, steady recovery will continue.
    • No additional surgery is advised at this point, but it is always an option; keep the surgeon on speed dial.
    • Continue with faithful exercise to re-strengthen the muscles which have deteriorated and atrophied the last six months.
    • The older you get the longer healing takes… and at some point there is not enough time left to achieve 100% healing.