That's Ludacris!

I haven't really talked about it a ton for some pretty specific reasons, but my wife and I are on vacation right now. I'll write more about it when we get back. Probably more than you ever wanted to read, but just know that right now we are kicking around the western shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I tell you all of this because I need to take a second to rant about one of my biggest pet peeves while camping. Since it is Friday, and I usually talk about finance on Friday, if you bear with me for a second, you will see how my current aggravation ties in with finance.

If you take a look at the opening photo, you will see two bundles of firewood. Actually, it's closer to one and a half bundles since I opened the other one to get our fire started. The current "resort" campground we are staying at has a rule that you have to buy your firewood directly from them. At $7 USD a pop for a bundle of something like five or six pieces of wood, you can see why I am annoyed.

Now don't get me wrong, as a nature lover, I can appreciate the necessity of preventing invasive species from infiltrating our habitats. I am fully aware of just how devastating critters can be when they are introduced in areas they shouldn't be. Just do a quick search for the "emerald ash borer" and you will likely see the fate that has befallen many forests near where I live.

That being said, it doesn't mean that businesses should be able to take advantage of people. As I said, this campground has a rule where you are not allowed to bring in any outside firewood. They then proceed to charge you a ridiculous amount of money for what ultimately equals about an hour of fire side enjoyment (if you are lucky). I can spend $20 at my friend @a4xjeepers house and get nearly a truck bed full of wood. I don't know, maybe I am being a bit too uppity, but it certainly feels like they have you over a barrel and they know it.

I should point out though, I haven't seen a single campground employee come riding around checking people's firewood, so it's possible it's one of those it's only illegal if you get caught sort of things. I might have to try it out while we are out and about tomorrow. The last thing I need is to get kicked out of the campground. Usually as long as it is purchased in a certain radius of the area you are burning it you are okay, but who knows what the rule are here in Wisconsin.

Tonight was actually the first time on this trip that we had a fire, and believe it or not, we were able to stretch those two bundles or $14 USD into a good two to three hours of campfire time.

It has actually been a bit nice being unplugged from the world of finance while we are on this trip. Sure, I still get alerts here and there as we pass in and out of cellular coverage, but I haven't been as tapped in to what is going on like I would be if I were at home. I know that BTC is looking to rebound a little bit as of Thursday night. I also know that it will likely be a short lived boon as tensions with Iran are ramping back up again.

It's funny, because I just saw a news story the other day where they said oil prices were finally starting to fall back to the lower end of things and then boom, suddenly the ceasefire is over again. Pretty convenient eh? It's amazing to me that although Trump was seemingly on the verge of bankruptcy just a short time ago, we have basically given him a get out of jail free card. By the end of this second term, he will likely be more wealthy than he was back in his heyday.

Meanwhile, here I am worrying about that next medical bill that I know is somewhere in the mail system right now making its way to me.

HIVE

I forgot to mention, I am tentatively on the schedule to be on some HIVE podcast or Discord chat sometime at the end of July. I'll be honest and admit I am a bit nervous about it. I don't do well at public speaking, and there is part of me that is absolutely terrified at how it will all play out. That being said, I love HIVE and the home I have made here. I just hope if I do follow through, I don't offend anyone or tick anyone off.

Then again, maybe I will just bail. No one really wants to hear my voice anyway right?

I know I haven't really covered much finance stuff in this post, but right now it is 11:30 PM according to my internal clock, even though the computer clock says 10:30 PM. I've gotta call it a night before I say anything else I will regret.

I hope you have an awesome weekend and you are all able to stay cool. Heat domes are no joke!