In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

In the house on Francisco Avenue on the battered Crown gas range sat an old aluminum percolator. The pot took twelve cups of water that when raised to a boil, would force the liquid up a metal tube and saturate the basket full of coffee below.  This infused suspension would drip back into the pot until the coffee was deemed done.  My father insisted that the perfect percolation time was exactly seven and one half minutes.  It wasn’t clear if he actually managed such precision.

Growing up there was always a pot of coffee on our stove in the morning, and frequently in the evening.  Sometimes my mother bought Eight O’Clock coffee, at other times it was Maxwell House, but her most frequent purchase was Folgers in a big red tin can.  I’m not sure if she thought that it tasted better, or perhaps she was influenced by Virginia Christine’s long-time depiction of Mrs. Olson, the pitch person for Folgers Coffee.  Mrs. Olson reminded her audience that Folgers Coffee was “Mountain grown, the richest kind.”  As far as I know all coffee is grown on mountains, so I guess all coffee is the richest kind.  However, her pitch must have worked as Folgers kept her as their spokesperson for over 20 years.

Then, there was a rumor that Christine was the heiress to the Folgers fortune, and to keep her inheritance she had to work for the company.  This seems wholly false as I could find no support for that claim when I researched it for this post.  In reality, she was a veteran actor who performed in over 400 movies.  However, most of us will remember her as the aproned  Mrs. O, who was glad to be typecast as that gig allowed for a very nice retirement.

Coffee was such an integral part of our lives that it was always offered to guests who visited our house.  Likewise, whenever we went visiting we were given a cup, usually accompanied by a sweet.  I remember many visits to my maiden aunts, Mary and Lill.  I was the youngest in my family so my parents took me along as they sat around the kitchen table talking, or sometimes playing a game.  Often, my Aunt Mary had baked something, but at other times we would be offered packaged cookies from their apple-modeled red cookie jar.  My Aunt Lill had a special fondness for packaged Windmill cookies, so they were always in plenty.  

At a very young age, I was offered a cup of coffee that consisted of about 25% coffee mixed with 75% milk, and dosed with a heaping teaspoon of sugar.  Having a cup of coffee when I was eight seemed perfectly normal to me.

We moved to a new home in the 1970s and the percolator was replaced with brewing’s latest technology, a Mr. Coffee coffee maker.  Ours was molded in a sparkling white plastic and featured a yellow gingham faceplate.  Making coffee was as simple as pouring in the water, adding the coffee, and pressing a button. Marvelous!  

I was away at college, my siblings were married, and my parents’ coffee needs were on the decline.  They still loved their coffee, but after the morning pot, they switched to instant, specifically a new type of instant coffee, freeze-dried Taster’s Choice.  An instant so confident in itself that it claimed to taste as good as the traditionally brewed stuff.

Instant coffee has been around since the turn of the last century, and it gained popularity as it was included in soldier’s MRE meals during WWII.  This original instant was made by spaying brewed coffee into hot air which evaporated the water and left a coffee residue powder.  Taster’s Choice was made differently, it was freeze-dried where the water evaporated under a vacuum.  This method claimed to be superior to the older method and created instant coffee granules instead of powder.  I never tasted much difference between the two methods, and the resulting liquid didn’t taste much like coffee to me.  However, the more you drank it the less objectionable it was, and after a while it tasted good enough.  

After I left my parent’s home I stopped drinking instant coffee; it was easy to brew my own.  The only times that I would drink instant was when I used a hotel’s in-room coffee service, or occasionally when I would go camping.  Even then, I usually brewed coffee. My impression remained the same, instant wasn’t very good, but the more you drank the more acceptable it became.  

Four of us are morning coffee drinkers in Kunaland, and I have been grinding my own beans for decades.  I would never call myself a coffee expert, but I do know a good cup when I drink one.  However, I also know that coffee is extremely subjective.  If you watch videos of people doing taste tests it is not unusual to have one person like a brand that another thinks is disgusting.

It should be noted that more people are making coffee at home; it is convenient and much less expensive to do this than buying coffee at a local shop. With automatic drip pots, the French press, pour-over systems, cold brew, Nespresso pods, and K cups you would think that the days of instant coffee are over.  However, you can still find many brands on the grocer’s shelves, and it isn’t uncommon for me to see a jar in someone’s basket when I check out.  

It surprised me to find that many countries prefer using instant to regular coffee for homebrew.  These countries include Great Britain, China, Russia, Mexico, Turkey, and many others. Asian countries prefer to buy sachets that they call Triples, which contain instant coffee, creamer, and sugar combined in a packet.  

In the United States, brewed coffee is preferred, but instant coffee was still a 5.8 billion dollar industry in 2022, and it is expected to grow into an 8 billion dollar industry by 2030.  Based on the above information I thought it was time for me to revisit instant coffee.

There are more than a dozen instant coffee brands available in the US.  Some premium brands, like Starbucks Via can cost almost a dollar a cup. Starbucks’s claim to fame is that they also include some finely ground regular coffee which adds a bit more flavor and aroma.   I have used Via on hiking adventures in the past, and in those situations, its expensive sachets may make sense.  However, at around a dollar a cup you would be better served using any brew method at home.  You can buy bulk K cups for as little as 40 cents each and brew ground coffee beans for less than that.

Many instant coffees are significantly less expensive.  Costco sells a 16 oz jar of Folgers Instant for $9.69 which makes 240 cups (6 oz each) of coffee.  That is four cents a cup.  Double the cost to eight cents and you can have a big 12 oz mug.

I decided to do a little experiment and purchased three jars of instant coffee. I deliberately purchased store brands and avoided high-end expensive instants based on my logic listed above.  

Brands Purchased:

Aldi Beaumont Coffee  at 3 cents for a 6 oz cup

Folger Classic Roast at 4 cents a 6 oz cup

Cafe Bustelo at around 6 cents for a 6 oz cup

The smell test

None of these coffees have a coffee aroma once the jar has been opened for even a short amount of time.  Coffee aroma adds to its taste, but it has been impossible for manufacturers to incorporate coffee oils that wouldn’t turn the coffee rancid.

Free-dried or spray-dried?

In past coffee use, I could not tell much of a difference.

First experiment

I tried Folgers made per instruction with boiling water.  Result:  The same taste that I remember from drinking Taster’s Choice in the day, Blech!.  Bland, processed, flat.  Not good.  

The problem

The lack of coffee aroma is a definite negative for instant coffee.  Additionally, instant coffee seems to be less acidic, which makes it taste flat.

Masking

Adding something to mask the coffee flavor can make drinking a cup of instant coffee much more palatable.  I always add some whole milk to my coffee and this moved the cup of Folgers from blech to drinkable. I think any type of milk would do, as would sugar, a flavoring (like a dash of cinnamon), or a combination of cream and sugar.

A better rehydrating method

I read about several methods used to improve the taste of instant coffee.  Two didn’t seem to make much of a difference, but the third surprisingly elevated the coffee several notches, and it is simple to do.  Add a couple tablespoons of tap water into your cup and mix in your coffee granules.  Heat water just below boiling (stop when small bubbles break the surface).  Add this hot water to your cup and stir.  Add your masking agent (in my case a splash of milk) and enjoy.  This coffee wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it was surprisingly acceptable. If this was the only coffee that I had I could drink it without problem.

Which coffee tasted the best?

This is a subjective opinion.  The Folgers was a bit better than the Beaumont and the Cafe Bustelo was a bit better than the Folgers. All of the coffees were brewed using the “better rehydrating method” and whole milk was added.  The difference between the various instant coffees was slight and none (as expected) were as good as the regular coffee that I brew at home.  However, all were acceptable.  

Why drink instant coffee?

Instant coffee delivers caffeine (you can buy decaf too) for your morning jolt.  You make exactly the quantity that you want, so there is no waste.  It is very easy to make a cup or two. There is no coffee grounds mess. Instant is less likely to go stale in the jar, as the volatile oils are already gone. It is incredibly inexpensive to make a cup if you stick with standard brands. Lastly, if you drink it on a regular basis you will adjust to the taste, which will appear normal.

Alternatives

Of course, you can buy a cup of coffee, but even McDonald’s coffee has gotten expensive.  Here are some homebrew solutions.  All will give you a more realistic cup of coffee at a higher price than instant, and likely with less convenience.

Percolator coffee

You can still buy percolators.  Some are electric and automatic. I think these pots produce the best coffee aromas.  However, the brew can sometimes taste a bit cooked or even slightly burnt. With that said, there is nothing as good smelling as percolator coffee on a cold morning while camping.

Home drip coffee

From automatic pots to pour-over systems.  The quality of coffee can be quite good.  It can be more time-consuming to make.  Cleanup may be slightly more work.

French Press

Fast and easy.  Can produce an excellent cup of coffee.  Cleanup can be messy.

K cups

Very convenient, no waste.  Coffee can be a bit insipid.  Additionally, you can have a lot of unnecessary plastic waste.

Nespresso

Another pod system,  but I have not tried them so I can’t rate them.

Coffee Tea Bags

Made by several companies.  Folgers is the most reasonably priced, and the most available.  At around 60 cents a “tea” bag this coffee only requires a cup and some hot water.  It is super fine ground coffee so you get some aroma and you can adjust the strength of the coffee by controlling your steep time.  Cleanup is easy and the bags are very portable.

Other methods

There are many ways to make coffee.  Each method has its own time commitment for making, monitoring, and cleaning up. Making coffee will always be less expensive than going to a shop.

I’m not against buying coffee at a shop, I do it myself.  However, I prefer this as a treat as it can be unnecessarily  expensive to buy a cup or two every day.  It is inexpensive to make homebrew, and it is downright cheap to use instant.  Instant will still give you the caffeine that you crave in a nice warm beverage. If you use the brewing method that I outlined above and add a masking agent, like milk or sugar, a cup of instant coffee can be quite acceptable.

Bone appetite!

Mike

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

When Julie had her surgery three months ago, we knew that the operation would severely impact the nerves in her right leg.  Although the neurosurgeon did a good job, those nerves were impacted, and it was unclear how well she would be able to walk. Weeks in a rehab hospital, plus ongoing outpatient physical therapy, have helped her.  However, I believe her determination has played an equal part in her recovery.  With that said, most of the time, she requires a stiff leg brace and a rollator/walker to get around.

Six weeks ago, my sister and her husband offered us their Labor Day weekend camping slot.  At that time, we weren’t sure if Julie could get into Violet the campervan as Violet’s chassis and seats were high.  Before we accepted their offer, we attempted to get Julie into the passenger seat.  She got in using a step stool, plus her pulling power and my pushing power. We accepted the camping slot and hoped for continued improvement.

DuPage County has beautiful forest preserves, walking paths, and parks.  Fifteen minutes from our front door is the county campground where we were going.  There, you feel like you are deep in the country even though DuPage County has nearly a million inhabitants. 

I love to camp in Violet the campervan.  Julie has camped with me, but she was always mobile.  This would be our first attempt camping with her wearing a brace and ambulating with a rollator.  As you can imagine, even the simple task of going to the bathroom could present impossible problems.

In addition, I had removed everything from my camper’s kitchen as my friend Tom is building me a new one.  That will likely be another post once it is completed.  However, I also had to reload some kitchenware to make the trip workable. 

I often camp alone and can do all the necessary tasks on a camping trip. When I travel with someone, I customize plans and buy special foods to make their trip enjoyable. For instance, when I camp with my son Will, I make elaborate dinners as I know he enjoys them.  Likewise, when I camped with Julie, I ensured I had what she liked to eat. Planning, shopping, and preparing takes quite a bit of time.  

I didn’t have it in me to do all of that this time, as I didn’t know the trip’s outcome. It could be possible that we would get to the campsite only to have to turn around. I had no idea how she would walk on grass and gravel roads. 

Instead of going out and buying food, I went with Julie at the start of the trip to buy simple microwave meals.  Violet has a little freezer compartment and a small microwave. If we had to turn back, I was sure the kids would happily eat our purchases.

We arrived at the campground and drove to site 40, a beautiful spot in the woods. Our first mission was to get Julie out of the Violet and into a camp chair.  Her rollator is designed for hard, smooth surfaces, and it was an effort for her to get from Violet to there. However, she succeeded.  I brought her a cool beverage, and she opened a novel.  However, I was still concerned about the rest of the weekend.

As I noted earlier, I’m comfortable doing most things when Julie camps with me, but that was not a good idea this time. My goal was to help when I knew that help was needed and be on alert at other times. Julie needed to see what she could do for herself.

Our first challenge was a trip to the bathroom, which was about a block and a half down a gravel road.  Normally, it is a simple task. However, the rollator’s small wheels were not designed for this type of terrain, and it was a slow process. Despite our lack of proper equipment, we made it there and back without a fall.  A triumphant success. 

Julie has camped with me enough times that she knows how to do many tasks, from turning the passenger seat into Violet’s cabin to powering up the AC inverter for the microwave. I let her do whatever she could, and she found ways to accomplish her goals. She was an asset on the trip and not another responsibility. 

Our first night was quiet, with food, books, and nature-watching. We discussed attempting a walk the next morning. I thought we would try walking a few blocks on the even-surfaced paved forest preserve road, but Julie had other ideas.  She wanted to hit a hiking trail. There are many hiking trails in the forest preserve where we were at.  Most are nicely maintained, but they do have some ups and downs.  I was familiar with one trail, the McKee Marsh trail, that is flat.  It is roughly 3 miles from the parking lot, around the marsh, and back to the car.  I knew that would be too far for Julie, so I started the mileage tracker on my Apple Watch.  Could we walk a mile?  We planned to walk half a mile in and then back, yielding a mile trip.  We knew the rollator wouldn’t work, so I pulled out my trekking poles, adjusted them to Julie’s shorter stature, and gave her a quick lesson in their use.  We started off.

It was a beautiful morning, and we were in a beautiful location.  People would pass us with a hello.  I think people were especially friendly as Julie’s brace was visible.  Some offered words of encouragement.  I kept warning Julie that we had gone past a half of a mile, then one mile, then a mile and a half.  She wanted to continue. By then, the only option was to complete the loop. We soldered on, and the trekking poles were a great success.  I couldn’t believe that we hiked 3 miles.  Julie could barely walk a few months ago. We rewarded ourselves with ice-cold Coke Zeros from Violet’s fridge.  A fantastic success.

If you have ever camped, you know that keeping your campsite neat and tidy is imperative.  Keeping things organized isn’t difficult, but it is a constant quest. Naturally, I did my thing, but I let Julie do hers, and she continued to help.

Our evening ended with a surprise visit from a friend, followed by a campfire.  I admit I’m not very good at starting campfires with damp wood.  I know I should split the wood to get at the dry insides, but I’m clumsy with an axe.  I got a fire going, but it was not the blaze I had hoped for.  Does anyone want to teach me my axe skills?… Warning: Keep your feet far away from me when I’m swinging. 

Our Monday started leisurely with me making some coffee.  I asked Julie if she wanted to try another hike, and she said she did. This time, we chose a path with more ups and downs- a big challenge when you have walking issues. We broke camp, drove to the parking lot outside the archery path, and started our journey.  It was clearly more difficult and pretty exhausting for Julie. We planned to walk a mile out and a mile back.  On the way back, Julie’s leg tired, and she had a few near falls.  However, the trekking poles saved the day, and she was able to turn potential crashes into simple missteps. In the end, our total distance was 2.25 miles. Julie had walked over 5 miles during our camping trip, which was amazing.

This trip taught us several things.  First, Julie could do many camp maintenance activities by modifying them.  She also improved at climbing into and out of Violet’s campervan. At times needing no assistance. However, the most impressive win was that we could hike on paths.  I don’t think it will be possible for her to hike on a traditional hiking trail; however, beautiful walking trails are everywhere, including National Parks.  This trip showed us that she could go on a more extensive camping trip and even do a little hiking.  Nothing would stop me from hiking more difficult trails independently, as I have been doing that for years.

The only significant problem I faced had more to do with my 6’3” bulky frame.  Violet’s bed is a tight fit for two.  I always take the edge of the bed, allowing me to hang my legs outside the bed when necessary.  This time, I felt I should give Julie that spot due to her mobility issue.  That meant I was stuck between her and the van’s back door. I could not stretch out completely; I could not hang my leg outside of the bed. This led to leg cramps and, even worse, a feeling of akathisia, or restless legs. I didn’t sleep well, and I’m not sure what to do in the future. I’m hoping that Julie will improve enough so that the next time, she will be able to take that inside position.  At 5’6”, she is more suited for it.  Otherwise, I’ll need to come up with a Plan B.

Our trip was a resounding success, well beyond my wildest expectations.  Kudos to Julie for all her hard work and amazing trail-blazing abilities.  

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

A while back, Amazon contacted me and asked me to become an official reviewer. I like comparing things, so I agreed.  Amazon selects items that may interest me. I can select or reject these items to review.  Sometimes their selections are spot on; at other times, they are so far off that I wonder if their computer is melting down. For instance, I have been offered breast pumps and African American hair extensions.  

Third-party sellers use this review program to get high-quality reviews of their products, as a single review can mean hundreds of sales. Based on this, most officially reviewed products should be expected to be good.  Why would someone want a bad review?  Despite this, I still will get an occasional clinker. 

Getting involved with the review process has educated me about some potential review scams from third-party sellers.  Below, I’ll list some of those impressions and my personal verdict on product categories that I have had the chance to examine.

It is estimated that at least 40% of reviews on Amazon are fake.  There are many ways to get fake reviews.  One common way to pay for a fake reviewer is to write a product review.  Some folks write reviews on products as a side hustle. For a few dollars, a product can get a 5-star review on a product the reviewer has never used.

Some fake reviewers will purchase a product and write a positive review.  They use their funds to buy the item, which the seller then refunds in exchange for cash and a free product.  The seller can get a “Verified Purchase” badge on their review.

There are large overseas organizations where a seller can buy a block of reviews or even have bad reviews removed.

In the past, it was easy to spot a fake review based on a lack of details or poor grammar.  This is getting harder as scammers now use AI-generated reviews, which can seem real.

There are other ways a seller can buy a “Verified Purchase” review, but those methods are beyond the scope of this post.

Another way to scam the customer is by updating the item’s product description.  They may sell a good product at a reasonable price.  When they have gained enough positive reviews, they will use the product update function on Amazon to change the product completely.  You can tell if this is the case by reading the original reviews.  Watch out if you bought a computer, but the original reviews were for a crockpot.

Sellers will pair items under the same listing. They may sell an inexpensive but high-quality charging cable and have an additional expensive but unrelated item in the same listing. Buyers may review the charging cable at 5-stars, and the overly expensive item will also seem highly rated.

Some sellers hire groups to trash another seller’s product to gain market share.

Naturally, Amazon is trying to eliminate these problems, but it is harder than you think.  As a consumer, your best option is to read a random sampling of the reviews to see if they are legit. 

Are there a bunch of reviews that use very similar language?  Caution advised.

Are there many reviews that all highlight the exact same points? Caution advised.

Are there reviews that consistently use very bad grammar?  Cautioned advised.

Are there reviews so generic that they could describe any item? Caution advised.

Does the product page list two unrelated products?  Caution advised.

Are the reviews clumped, many written during a short time period?  Cautioned advised.

Do the reviews talk about a completely different product?  Caution advised.

I like to look at the poor reviews on a product I’m considering purchasing and compare those poor reviews with the 5-star reviews.  Sometimes it is clear that the poor review was because the customer didn’t know what they were doing. Other times there are clear indications that the 5 -Star review is fake.  

At this time, I have reviewed hundreds of Amazon products and have come up with a few conclusions.  

Clothing items:  This category has been the most variable of all product categories.  At times I have discovered bargains.  I have reviewed many products that were as advertised. However, I have found many sub-par articles of clothing.  Common problems were that they were missized or poorly constructed.  I have also reviewed clothing where the material was of very poor quality. A greater concern has been products that initially seemed to be of good value but failed after moderate use.  I reviewed a winter coat that I liked.  However, the zipper became increasingly difficult to latch within a month or two. If the manufacturer had used a quality zipper, it would have been a great coat and a good value.  However, the crappy zipper significantly downgraded the product.

Linens, etc.:  Here, you get what you pay for, and sometimes a little more.  Cheap towels are cheap. More expensive ones are decent. Bedding is often constructed OK, but check out the dimensions. I have gotten quilts and blankets advertised for a king mattress that would be more suitable for a queen.

Electronics/Computers: I have been happy with many of these items.  However, if you buy an inexpensive item, don’t expect it to be premium.  You can get a mini-computer for a couple of hundred dollars which will work for simple computing. However, it won’t do high-demand tasks like video editing or gaming.

Kitchenware: I have been satisfied with many items I have reviewed.  I have tested many small appliances and other items, from plates to cookware.  If you read the description carefully, you will likely get what you have ordered. If you buy a set of pots and pans for $20, expect to get junk.  However, I have reviewed many off-brand items that were less expensive than the brand name that were as good. Many kitchen items are made in the same factories as the more expensive branded items. Your mileage may vary.  

Tools/Outdoor stuff: Many of these items are as described.  Cheap tools won’t be as good as branded ones, but they will do the job for a DIYer like me.  I would say the same for outdoor implements. 

Camping/Fun items: Most of the things I have reviewed were good.  

Items to consider avoiding:  These are not items that I have reviewed in my official capacity. Instead, they are items that I purchased over the years. Personally, I won’t buy cologne/perfume as I have gotten counterfeit items in the past. I would say the same about other popular branded/designer items.  

Final tips: 

An identical product may be sold under several different names at vastly different price points.  

Check the color choices of a product, as some colors will be significantly less expensive than others. 

Make sure you calculate the cost per ounce when buying consumable products.  You may find that the larger container is more expensive than the smaller container (which is counterintuitive).  

Caution, when a seller uses unfamiliar measurements to describe a product.  For instance, centimeters instead of inches. At times this is an honest mistake, but at other times it is used to confuse the customer.  

Sometimes a discontinued product will be ridiculously expensive, even when the updated product is cheaper.  

Sometimes a seller will sell an item at a cost many times its MSRP.  I’m unsure why; I’m guessing they hope someone will mindlessly click and buy.

Happy shopping!

Mike

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Dear reader, you may recall my last post where my best-laid plans were foiled. I had problem solved how I could successfully sleep in Violet the campervan in sub-freezing temperatures. This was so I could offer a little help to my out-of-town daughter, who was recovering from surgery. I would assist her during the day and then retreat to Violet in the evening. All of these plans were upturned when my granddaughter became sick the night after I arrived. I wrote my last post with that theme in mind. Sometimes stuff happens, and you have to accept the outcome. We don’t have control over the universe.

To update you, my granddaughter did have COVID, but thankfully, her case was mild. In addition, the fact that I didn’t sleep in my daughter’s apartment reduced my exposure to her, and I didn’t contract the virus. So my planning did have a positive impact, just not the results that I expected. This leads me to today’s story, which takes place several weeks after the above incident. 

My daughter, Grace, needed a ride back to school after winter break. It is a 5 ½ hour drive from our home to her school. Add in refueling, bathroom and food stops, plus a grocery haul for Grace, and the entire adventure can easily last well over 12 hours. I have driven this route many times in the last four years, and it is exhausting. Julie will accompany me on some trips, and having a companion and co-driver for the return ride can ease this burden. However, it has gotten progressively more taxing for me to do the round trip solo as I have aged. Because of this, I decided to split the driving into two days and sleep overnight in Violet, the camper van. However, this would be challenging as the temperature was predicted to be 9F (-13C), the lowest temperature I had ever camped in.

My friend Ralph queried why I didn’t stay at a hotel. Indeed, I could book a hotel for about $120, but I didn’t want to. I like the idea of traveling with my things. If I want a cup of tea at midnight, I have it at the ready. If you know me, you understand that I love solving problems and enjoy coming up with solutions. I feel that any knowledge that I gain, no matter how trivial, is worthwhile and could be useful at some later date. Lastly, let’s not forget that I am secretly a 12-year-old boy hiding in an adult man’s body. The thought of urban stealth camping while battling the elements felt like an adventure in the making.

I had already worked out several cold-weather techniques during past winter trips, refining them to maximize their effectiveness. Utilizing various techniques allowed me to survive sleeping in Violet when the temperature was in the high 20s. Could I rework these ideas further to comfortably sleep in single digits?  

I like to conserve energy, so I had planned on only running my Webasto heater for a few hours before I went to bed. However, my friend Tom convinced me to run it continuously, which turned out to be a good idea. Listening to someone else’s opinion can sometimes give you a better perspective. 

In addition, I would close off the driver’s area from the rest of the cabin and put up an insulating panel on Violet’s sliding door window. I had my 12-volt electric blanket in place, and I added a quilt layer to my blanket set-up. Lastly, I would dress a bit warmer this time than my usual sleepwear.  

It was already dark when I pulled into the Walmart parking lot. After a few hours of activities, I settled down for the evening, pulled my covers over me, and switched on my 12-volt electric blanket’s timer to give me 90 minutes of high heat. I slept through the night comfortably and was not a bit cold. The experiment was a complete success.

If you have read this post to this point you may be thinking about why I am writing this? I’m writing this because it illustrates the complete opposite point of my last post, which was that you couldn’t control things. This post suggests that you can control things. You may be feeling that I am contradicting myself; however, that is not the case. It is comfortable to think that we live in a black and white world. This is wrong; that is right. I’m on the good side; you are on the bad side. Today, I would like to challenge that.

Yes, there are times that we have no control over situations, but we do at other times. With that said, most of life falls somewhere in between. If you take an absolute position, either way, you will be an unhappy camper (pun intended). 

You may not need to come up with solutions so you can sleep in a freezing camper, but you do have to come up with solutions for other issues daily. For example, if you are always short of cash by the end of the month, what things can you do to lessen that issue? If you are lonely, how can you gain meaningful relationships? What things will you have to modify, and what other changes will you need to adopt? Your efforts may yield a complete change or perhaps a partial benefit. Sometimes they will fail, but you can still learn from your failure as you launch your next solution. 

I spent much of my professional career working with people who wanted to do the same behavior repeatedly, but they somehow expected that they would achieve a different outcome. So it was not a simple matter of me highlighting their missteps, as they would often agree with me while continuing business as usual. 

Sometimes, a person would marry a dysfunctional person to correct their childhood traumas, for example, marrying a person similar to their mother with the hopes that they could correct that old relationship by fixing or controlling the new one. Sometimes a person would seek one inappropriate job after another similar job because each would promise them big commission money. However, they weren’t suited for that type of work which meant that they were unsuccessful and miserable. Sometimes, people would falsely think that they would feel better about themselves if they possessed a new thing or went on a fancy trip. Indeed, they may have had a moment of bragging joy, but that quickly faded as the reality of their life swopped back in. Unfortunately, their short buying high could be enough to continue their behavior, often leading them into credit card debt and more unhappiness.

The above examples are meant to be generic and general. However, such illogic impacts individuals on all levels. We are forever using old behaviors and defective logic that doesn’t suit our current needs.

Why not try a different approach?  

Instead of being a victim, empower yourself. This can be more difficult than you think, as it involves taking responsibility for your life rather than blaming others for your unhappiness. 

Learn from your past errors and correct them. If an action or choice resulted in a bad result, what makes you think that doing it again will result in a good one?  

Imagine yourself where you want to be instead of where you are. The more you see yourself this way, the more likely you will behave in a way to get you there.

Think about the common elements in repeating situations that did not go well. For example, do you always find friends who tend to use you? Are your kids always taking advantage of you? Are your bosses always abusive? If you see a trend, then admit that you are likely part of the problem. How can you change yourself, or how can you interact with others to be treated in the way you want to be treated? 

If you have dysfunction in your past, you will find that new dysfunctional relationships will feel comfortable. They will remind you of home. I would often tell patients who found themselves in bad relationships to run if they felt that they had known a new friend for years. The new person felt that way because they were likely a clone of former dysfunctional connections.

The above examples are relationship-based, but thinking solutions can also be applied to other problem areas in your life. Always short of cash? Write down every expense for a month and study the results. I had one patient who was constantly short of money. She said that she bought very few things and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t pay her bills. She was married with no children, and both her husband and she worked full-time jobs. Eventually, they wrote down their expenses for a month and discovered a huge cash outlay was because they ate every single meal out. Changing that one behavior not only relieved their money shortage but also allowed them to save money.

Examine life changes that partially worked and tweak them. My initial cold weather sleeping plans were somewhat successful. What eventually worked was based on multiple times sleeping in cold weather and the information I gathered from those events. In addition, I listened to the advice of a trusted friend. Using all of that data allowed me to develop a plan that let me comfortably sleep in a camper van at 9F. If my situation changes, I might have to rethink, readjust, and realign my solutions. Once you have something that works, you still need to be aware and observant. This is not only true when camping, but (of course) with life in general.  

No, we don’t have control over the universe, and we sometimes have to accept what life gives us. However, we can point ourselves in the right direction, and in doing so, the likelihood of having a good life is greatly increased. Growth is not only avoiding external negatives; it is also about challenging internal narratives that may be pushing us away from what we want in life.  

Please don’t mistake that happiness can be obtained by achieving a single objective. “I’ll be happy if I”m rich.” “I’ll be complete if I find the perfect partner.” “I’ll feel confident if I have an impressive job” People who choose such singular paths often feel depressed, cheated, and empty. 

Your life’s meaning may differ from mine, but I can assure you that it is not one of the above. Instead, explore your desires on a more fundamental level. Your efforts should be directed to move you in that direction rather than some singular quick-fix approach.

Peace

Mike`

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

A few years back, I was contacted by my best buddy from medical school, and over time, we have emailed each other. It has been great to hear from her and to learn more about her exciting professional life, where she worked internationally as a research physician. Additionally, she is more up-to-date about the happenings of my former classmates, many of whom did very well professionally. One became the US Surgeon General for some time.  

In a recent email, she recalled her admission interviews at Northwestern. She had the standard three interviews. One was a senior medical student; the other two were the same physicians who interviewed me. However, her experience was quite different from mine. I’ll talk more about that later. In this post, I want to explore the concept of fate and how you sometimes have to put logic to the side when deciding. Please note that I’m not encouraging my readers to do foolish things. I’m saying that sometimes, “The best-laid plans of mice and men go awry.” But first, some background. You may already know some of this from my previous posts.

When I was in grade school, the nuns labeled me as gifted. In second grade, I couldn’t read because of dyslexia and other central processing problems. Due to the fear that I would be in trouble at home, I developed a method using the newspaper’s funny pages to translate words into symbols. By the 4th grade, I was a slow but very competent reader and scored higher in science than the rest of the students in my entire grade school (which consisted of 1st-8th grade) on a standardized test. I was scoring in the range of a junior in high school in the 4th grade.

I loved science, as it made sense out of the crazy world that I lived in. The nuns were so convinced I was different that they told my parents, “God has special plans for Michael.” Despite this, my dad made me go to a terrible public high school while my siblings had all been sent to private schools. He knew it wasn’t the best place, noting, “If you want to learn, you can learn anywhere.” I am not trying to badmouth my father. Perhaps he was just burnt out from years of paying tuition, or possibly he was reworking his feelings of having to drop out of school in 8th grade so his older brother could attend college. He always noted that he was “Glad to do it.” Was he? He spent the next ten years attending night school. Did I remind him of that situation or possibly his brother?I will never know.

I was a big kid but highly naive. I had truly terrible times at that high school. I did what I had to, but my goal was to get through the years. Despite my traumas, good things also happened. I was quietly angry and sullen, but teachers took note of me. Three in particular went way out of their way to befriend me. Trust me, I did not seek them out. Honestly, I think that someone (something) greater than myself was watching over me. That someone wanted me to learn more than my ABCs. 

The blue-collar neighborhood that I was raised in was undergoing an exodus of whites who were leaving due to real estate agents practicing “blockbusting.” There was a very negative feeling about blacks, and I heard terrible things about them regularly. Before high school, everyone that I knew was white, and 99% of them were Catholic. However, the teachers who befriended me were not. Two were black, and one was a Jew. Thank God for them in so many ways. They went above and beyond to engage with me. They shared parts of their lives with me. They treated me like a person, not a burden. They told me that I was gifted and implied that I could do anything I wanted. Each connected with me for different reasons and did so during a different school year. One told me that I was a gifted listener, another said I was a gifted writer, and the third told me I was a gifted teacher. All three things that I did later in life. They helped me heal from my anger, and their actions gave me the confidence to take control of my life when I entered college. However, their greatest gift was introducing me to people different from me, by showing me that they were not different. I’m not saying that “We are all the same.” I am saying, “We are not that different.” This process eventually made me understand that I had no right to judge another person based on any superficial reason. As bad as my high school experience was, the overall impact of these and other teachers positively changed me. So, was I supposed to attend that terrible school?

These teachers gave me the confidence to do my best when I started college. Here, too, I was given limited options as I was only allowed to attend our community college. However, this also turned out well as I gained many friends and attended school with my lifelong friend, John. By finally taking control of my life, I could focus on myself rather than the expectations and criticism of others. I love learning, and I have a knack for test-taking. My community college was housed in temporary metal barracks-like buildings. It was nothing to look at, but the teaching was good. Here again, I had some very positive interactions with teachers. That may be a story for another day.

After community college, it was time to go to university. My memories are different from reality. I only applied to one school, and I always wondered why I didn’t apply to the U of I, our flagship state college. In my recollection, my friend John had convinced me. However, he has since corrected this misperception. John’s parents died at an early age, and he was going to stop his education after community college as he didn’t have the means to continue further. John reminded me that I convinced him to continue in school, something I do not recall doing. So I picked the school? I am still trying to understand why. However, I enjoyed going to that university. By the way, my friend John graduated college, then went on to graduate school and became a successful school psychologist. It was meant to be.  

We all have strengths and weaknesses. In some ways, strengths are our superpower if we utilize them. My mantra has always been to make the most of my strengths and turn my weaknesses into strengths. I only have one strength going for me. I have an insatiable desire to learn, allowing me to do well on exams. That’s it.  

I’m clumsy, and because I’m blind in one eye, I have no depth perception–no sports career for me. I’m quiet and introspective, and I have difficulty faking it if I don’t like someone–business careers are not in my future. I love learning about obtuse things that only some would find interesting. If I’m into something, I typically know more about it than most (I’m obsessive), so I can only discuss a few topics at a level I would like. Lastly, I process information in ways that are very different from many, so it is not uncommon for others to not “get” what I’m talking about. I’m telling you that I’m a one-trick pony. If you only have one trick, try using it to your best.

How could I negotiate my only trick into a career? To me, the answer was obvious. I would become a university professor. I had the grades and test scores to get into graduate school and even had an area that fascinated me: microbial biochemistry (I told you I was odd). I not only got into grad school, but the school paid my tuition and even gave me a monthly stipend to attend. My plan was moving ahead nicely. I finished my master’s and was about to transition into my PhD work. Everything was going as planned, or was it?

Getting a PhD wasn’t the right thing for me. I fought that feeling with everything in me because it would be the road to my success. This was my one trick; how could I throw it away?

To make matters worse, I started to get an overwhelming urge to leave graduate school after my master’s and apply to medical school. I absolutely could not shake that feeling, which was beyond absurd. No medical school should want me. I was an older student, but like most applicants, I was a white male, so there was nothing to set me apart except my age which was a negative. Most people who apply to medical school start that process in high school. They attend a great high school and then transition to a prestigious college. They work in clinical experiences, as they often come from professional families who have connections. One of my med school classmates told me that he had a subscription to the NEJM when he was a freshman in high school. I only knew what the NEJM was when I was in graduate school. I learned that some used professional writers to help them with their personal statements. One international student was the son of the president of his country; another was an Olympic medal winner. There were unconfirmed rumors that some parents had donated large sums of money.

What did I have? I went to a terrible high school, a community college, and a typical college. Nothing was stopping me from getting a PhD. I already had the basic research and techniques down. I had most of the coursework done. My master’s thesis was very comprehensive (it probably could have been a PhD dissertation with some additions). It would take me two, possibly three more years to complete a PhD.  

What in the world was wrong with me? How could I throw that away? Where were these intrusive thoughts about applying to medical school coming from? How could I get rid of them? I was messing up my life. My decision to go to grad school was so logical, and once again, I was about to abandon logic because of a feeling! I was about to give up a sure thing for something with a 1% chance of success.  

So what did I do? I left grad school after my master’s, took the MCAT, and applied to the seven medical schools in Illinois. I was married to my first wife then, and she was even against me applying to medical school. I got a research job at the University of Chicago to fill the gap year and waited. I felt that I had just thrown my life away. However, the external force was too powerful for me to resist. I honestly had no choice.

OK, I’m just going to say it now. That eternal force was something beyond me or the world. I call it God. You may call it your guardian angel or whatever you like. I was being pushed to do something ridiculous, yet it felt correct. It was crazy.

Let’s get to even crazier stuff. Remember my med school friend, Harriette? She had the same two doctors that I had for interviewers at Northwestern. She also had a senior medical student interviewer (standard practice). The docs grilled her. Her interviews were very stressful, which is the norm.

This is what happened to me. I was anxious (naturally) and had to go to the bathroom (sorry to be graphic). As I was standing there, I noticed that someone had scribbled on the wall, “How to get into medical school.” One of the bullet points said, “Ask insightful questions.” I considered about a dozen somewhat unusual questions and committed them to memory. I guess It takes me longer to void than most.

My first interview with Dr. Berry. He had a stack of my documents in front of him, and in a monotone voice, he would take a single sheet and ask a question like, “Is this your MCAT score?” I would say “Yes,” and he would say “Hmm” and then take the next sheet out. “Is this your personal statement?” I would say “Yes,” and he would say “Hmm,” and so forth. He never asked me a question, which was completely different from other med school interviews I had already had at other schools. This was also opposite from the grilling that he gave Harriette. At the end, he asked me if I had any questions. I asked him some of my “insightful questions.” For every one of them, he said, “That is an excellent question; I don’t have an answer for that.” At one point, he gave me a little sly smile like he was playing with me. The interview, which should have lasted at least 30 minutes, was over in less than 15, probably more like 10 minutes. Things were not going well.  

Next, I had Dr. Green, a big-shot nephrologist. He had an enormous office consistent with his status. He had also grilled Harriette. I entered his office, and he invited me to sit down. I felt tiny in that gigantic office. He did not ask me a single question. He asked me if I had any questions, and I started with my “insightful” ones. For EVERY question, he said, “No one has ever asked me that question. I’ll have to think about it,” and didn’t give me an answer. We sat silently for a few minutes, and on my own, I stood up, shook his hand, and said, “Well, I guess the interview is over then.” I left. There was NO THIRD INTERVIEW ON MY SCHEDULE. I usually interview well. These were the worst interviews of my life.

I had to go somewhere to process my feelings and drove out to Palos to be comforted by my sister, Nancy. I was physically shaking by the time I reached her house. She could see that I was agitated and asked me what was wrong. I told her about my experience, which made no sense. Why were they interviewing me if they knew they would never accept me? Couldn’t they give me a chance? I was an excellent student who scored high on the MCAT. I was willing to dedicate myself to being the best doctor I could be. It wasn’t my fault that I did not know how the system worked. I had no choice but to go to a community college. I didn’t even think about medical school until I had just about finished my master’s degree. I didn’t know that I was supposed to have clinical experience before applying. There was no way that I could do that anyway. I didn’t have any connections. My parents weren’t physicians. Why was I so compelled to apply to medical school? Was this a cruel joke from above?

A week later, I received an acceptance letter from Northwestern. It was my first acceptance.

I applied to seven medical schools, and six of them interviewed me. All the schools that interviewed me either accepted or put me on a waitlist. What? How is that possible?  

We don’t have control over many things in our lives. I have had many experiences where I have carefully planned out a situation, only to abandon those plans and go with a feeling. Strangely, it was the right thing to do.

In the case of medical school, I felt that applying was a foolish waste of time and money. However, I now believe that someone or something felt differently, so I was compelled to do it. Why did 6 out of 7 schools have an interest in me? It makes no sense.

Northwestern was the last school to interview me and the first to accept me. Their interviews were odd and utterly different from the more expected experience that my friend, Harriette, had with the same doctors. In retrospect, it felt like I was accepted before entering the building. How is that possible?

I still don’t get it. Was my higher power telling me to trust in Him? Perhaps He gave me those last impossible interviews to show me that even the impossible can be possible. I don’t know. However, going to med school was clearly what I was supposed to do. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I didn’t know it, but I was meant to be a physician. I can’t even say that it was my best decision because I didn’t make it. Life is full of mysteries.  

Oh, you want to know why I became a psychiatrist despite never taking a psychology class in college? That is another story.

Peace

Mike

Roughly a month ago this website went down for no apparently reason. I contacted Go Daddy (my web host) and paid for additional services in the hope of repairing the site. They were able to restore my site up to October 2021, but everything newer than that seems to be lost. I do have drafts of those more recent posts (around 100 of them), and will start to re-post them soon. Sadly, the posts will be copied from drafts, so please excuse any typos and other problems with them. I can’t see editing 800-1000 pages of text. Additionally, all images from those post posts are also lost. My apologies. Mike