…let alone take a road trip to California after I retire (again).

I took a drive to Manheim Pennsylvania yesterday, to The Turntable Store where I had my Nakamichi cassette deck in for repair. The Turntable Store is a small, classic audio shop that sells used component stereo equipment from the late 20th century, and also does repairs. They also sell used vinyl and open reel music.

Funny story…sort of. I asked the owner once if he ever got in any Heathkit stereo equipment, like maybe an AR-15, which I wouldn’t mind owning one of, and he looked at me funny. Then I realized that “AR-15” designation was a tad unfortunate these days and I had to explain. In Heathkiteze “AR” meant it was an integrated Amplifier and Receiver, “AA” was a unit that was only the amplifier section and “AJ” was the receiver section only. I still own the AA-14 I built back when I was a teenager that I use as a headphone amp.

I did notice he had an AJ-14 receiver for sale there I could have bought to complement my AA-14, but I have the Radio Shack FM receiver dad gave me long ago as a birthday present so that’s not being replaced.

On the way there and back I couldn’t help noticing something I’ve been dreading for a while now. Diesel is over six bucks a gallon now! $6.30 in some spots. Great. Swell. Though I can’t afford to retire to the land of my birth I can still enjoy California fuel prices. But if it’s over six bucks around here I don’t want to think what it is in The Five Cities. I may not even be able to afford another road trip to California for the rest of the Trump presidency, and maybe even beyond, let alone living there.

Getting really tired of all this winning…