I don’t know if the Dodgers are in first place.

Actually, I’m more of an American League fan, I’d like to know where the Yankees and Red Sox stand, but I don’t know that either.

And I know the NFL season just began, and I no longer watch because of CTE, but I do want to see how my team, the Broncos, are doing, but I don’t know that either.

You see they removed the standings from the newspaper.

Yes, the physical newspaper. I get three, the “New York Times,” the “Los Angeles Times” and the “Wall Street Journal.” The “Journal” never had sports standings but the other two did.

You’re reading the physical paper? That’s nice, grandpa. But the truth is you see articles you don’t online. Not that I’m not checking the news all day online, at the sites of the three aforementioned outlets as well as the “Guardian,” “Bloomberg” and everything on Apple News+ and even more. But nowhere are the sports standings up front and center like they used to be in the physical newspaper.

That’s one of the reasons I get the physical newspaper. For the quick glance at the standings, I want to know what is happening, what is the score. But those days are through. The papers have excised them for space reasons. Now this is kind of ironic when it comes to the L.A. “Times,” because the paper is so thin already it’s astounding that it doesn’t just fly into the sky. But why even get the physical newspaper if you can’t get the basics, like the standings.

So I went online.

A cursory search on the “New York Times” site did not reveal the standings. For that I had to go to its sister publication, the “Athletic.” I thought I’d find the standings right there on the homepage. That was not true. I had to click multiple times to find the standings.

In other words, if you’re a sports fan, you have to be dedicated to find out where your team stands, and if you’re not a sports fan…you’re clueless, and probably happy being out of the know.

So…

You may not care about sports. But the prevailing opinion, the mainstream story, is that sports are number one in this country of ours. That everybody is salivating over the results of their team. That sports get the highest television ratings. But in truth, you can now ignore sports easily. They don’t even hit you in the face. You’ve got to be an active sports fan to know how your team is doing, what is going on. And if you’re not an active sports fan, you’re out in the wilderness, you’re clueless. As for the casual sports fan, it’s too much work to keep up, too many clicks in a harried world.

But this isn’t about sports. It’s about music. If I don’t know where the Dodgers are in the standings, what are the odds I’ve even heard of your act, never mind heard the music.

Great swaths of the public have never heard a single song on the Spotify Top 50, not a single one. Can’t sing two songs by Taylor Swift, the Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Beyonce…if they can even name one at all.

This is a radical change from the pre-internet culture. We all listened to the radio, every one of us. Sure, some news only, but most listened to music, and there were few outlets, and we were all aware of the hits.

And then came MTV. A national, then an international rage, if you were on MTV you were famous around the world, the acts from the eighties are still selling prodigious numbers of tickets based on that exposure. Today’s acts, other than the few superstars, will have a very hard time selling that number of tickets forty years later.

Forget misinformation, most people have no idea what is going on in sports, music, politics… They’re not hit in the face with it anymore, it’s not around every corner, every turn. There are those dyed-in-the-wool in a vertical, but that does not mean they know anything about another vertical. They may know sports and be clueless as to music, and vice versa.

Think about it. You may not even have Spotify, so you don’t know what’s in the Top Fifty. And even if you do, you’ve got to click to find this information/playlist. You’ve got to care, and so many do not.

All the information is there if you pull it, but it used to be pushed to you, you could be fairly passive and have a pretty accurate grip on what is going on in America. No longer, to keep up to speed you’ve got to take action, you’ve got to click, you’ve got to research. And that takes a lot of time and effort, and chances are you’re deeply interested in something else, without time for that which used to be in the periphery of your vision but has now fallen off.

We live in a Tower of Babel society, people are more informed, in some cases disinformed, than ever before. But broad knowledge? That’s a thing of the past.

As for education… They’re eliminating liberal arts courses in universities. Because everybody sees college as a training school, where you go to get a job, who needs to have their life enriched?

So so many know so little about what they used to know so much.

The World Series? Used to be a fall rite, played in the fading autumn sunlight, a golden paradise. Now you can’t even remember who played, never mind who won, never mind the endless playoffs in the name of ratings, i.e. money.

Everything has become longer and deeper, which makes it even easier to avoid it. You can’t be a casual fan, there is too much information, never mind you’ve got to gather so much information to gain context.

This is the world we live in.

But everybody keeps telling us we do not. That we still live in a pre-internet world with a center, where we all are aware of certain facts, where we are all in it together, in a cohesive society.

We are not. 

Do not buy an iPhone 15.

But you might want to buy an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.

The war is over. Apple won. It vanquished Android.

HUH? That can’t be right, wasn’t Android supposed to kill the iPhone, wasn’t it only a matter of years before the overpriced Apple product was marginalized, a niche, only for the elite? Yes, that’s what you’d think, but it turned out all the prognosticators, all the bloviators, were wrong.

It’s in the data.

Five years ago, the iPhone had 18% of the U.S. market. Today it has 55%. There are two reasons, iMessage and longevity of functionality/resale value.

You don’t want to be the owner of a green bubble. Oh, oldsters may not care, but if you’re a youngster it’s a cultural faux pas that will immediately have you losing status at the high school. You must have a blue bubble, your life depends upon it.

And then there’s the resale value. iPhones hold it, Androids do not. An iPhone typically has three owners, an Android leaves the store and loses a ton of value and goes down to near zero nearly overnight. Apple supports old iPhones, good look with your couple of year old Android.

And it’s not only the U.S. In South Korea, 52% of those 18-29 use an iPhone.

We don’t need to debate functionality, we don’t need to talk about the Apple haters. It’s an incredible story, unforeseen. A premium-priced product dominates, Apple is about to eclipse the sales of the number one Android provider, Samsung.

So which one should you buy?

Well, you don’t want the iPhone 15 because it’s essentially the iPhone 14 Pro. It has last year’s chip, the A16 Bionic, and it only has two camera lenses instead of three. If you’re worried about status, this is important (but in truth, phones are fungible and nearly indistinguishable when it comes to cosmetics today).

No, you want an iPhone 15 Pro. It’s got the new chip, the A17 Bionic, and better cameras and a titanium case, which you don’t care about in theory, but in truth it means the phone is lighter, and that’s important, the iPhone has gotten far too heavy in its recent iterations.

But Bob, I can save $200 by buying the iPhone 15 instead of the 15 Pro, money means something to me!

But that is shortsighted.

First and foremost, it’s not really $200, it’s $100, because the cheapest iPhone 15 has 128GB of storage and the Pro has 256GB, and with everybody shooting so many photos, you don’t want to run out of space.

But the truth is these phones have a lifespan, and by buying last year’s model, which the iPhone 15 essentially is, you’re losing a year of functionality, you’re going to have to replace it a year earlier, so why not lay out the extra money to live large now, knowing that it will be a wash when it comes to trade-in time?

As for whether you should get a new iPhone…

If you have an 8 or a X, definitely. iOS17 will not work on these devices. Apple says it will continue to support them with security updates, which is crucial, but that won’t be forever, and then you’ll need a new phone in a year or two, which might be even more expensive, why not live large now, why not live in the present now? Sans iOS17 you’re going to lose functionality. You think your phone is good enough, but then you’ll want to do something and you won’t be able to, because of compatibility issues. You do not live in a vacuum, in the pre-internet era, we are all connected, and you want to be able to connect fully. Upgrade.

Do you need an iPhone 15 Pro if you have a 14 or 13? No, unless you want one. Used to be you got a new iPhone and were wowed by the speed, the new chip made a huge difference. Those days are gone, the improvements are incremental. Stay with what you’ve got, wait another year or two.

But what if your old iPhone is running out of juice too fast?

These batteries start to fade. Within a year even. If your iPhone is fine, but there’s an issue with battery life, just buy a new battery and it will be like new, you can get out the door for under a hundred bucks, either at the Apple Store or at a third-party provider. Your phone won’t run any faster, but it will continue to run.

So which Pro model should you buy?

First and foremost, the Pro Max has a longer battery life, and that might be significant to you.

However, the Pro Max is much larger, it doesn’t fit in your hand as easily. I like the larger phone, I love the extra screen real estate. But if it’s uncomfortable in your hand, you might want to go for the smaller option. Don’t make the decision to go small on a whim, go to the Apple Store and hold both devices, you’ll know.

Now it used to be the Pro and Pro Max iterations had different cameras. But then they had the same cameras, but now they have different cameras again. The Pro Max has a better telephoto… If you’re a casual shooter, ultimately it’s not that important, nice, but not necessary. Bottom line, if you need a Pro Max for the camera you already know. As for the photos themselves, for the last few years the Pro versions of the iPhone have created spectacular images. Throw away your point and shoot, the iPhone takes a much better picture.

Also, keep in mind the modern phones squeeze more pixels, more screen real estate, into the glass, borders are smaller. So a small phone, the iPhone 15 Pro, might be enough, but if you’re spending that much, why not go for the best?

Buy a bumper, a case. And I’m going to be a heretic and say buy an Apple case. They’re much more expensive, but far superior. Every year I get the silicone case for fifty bucks and not once have I ever damaged my phone, not once! And believe me, I’ve dropped it on pavement… Lay down, your phone won’t break. As for screen protectors, what a joke. The glass is incredibly sturdy, adding a screen protector just decreases functionality.

As for where you should buy your new iPhone…

If you are switching carriers, you’re in luck, the offers are stupendous the market is saturated and it’s hard for the three major providers, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, to get new customers. And as a result of this, they want to entice you to stay. But beware! The devil is in the details. They might say the phone is free, but really it’s not, those days of free phones are in the deep past. You’ll have to commit for 30 months to a plan that might be more expensive than the one you’ve got now. The iPhone might look free, but the cost is just baked-in to the aforementioned 30 payments.

However, having said that, the three major providers give you a few more bucks in trade than Apple. But don’t be wowed by the huge numbers, $800 for your old iPhone. In truth, that’s for last year’s top of the line, maxed out. Chances are your phone will be worth less than a hundred bucks, but it’s worth something, and money is money.

But Apple is such a better buying experience. If you need to talk with someone they are knowledgeable, and there are no tricks and the company is not out to screw you. (If you want to cancel AppleTV+, you just slide a button in the settings of your phone. If only the rest of the streamers were so easy.)

I could talk about locked and unlocked, but really you don’t need to know, it’s irrelevant to almost everybody, and if it’s important to you you’re already fully-versed in the details.

As for USB-C… Never has so much ink been spread about something so trivial. Macs have been USB-C since 2016. Sure, you’ll have to toss your Lightning cables, but a new USB-C cable comes in the box anyway. As for the brick…

Apple stopped providing them in the box years ago. Furthermore, you probably have one of those old tiny square charging bricks anyway, you want the newer, more powerful rectangular one. You might even have one from your last iPhone purchase, I certainly do. And the important thing here is… The connector is already USB-C! So you don’t need a new brick. But if you’re starting from scratch, time to upgrade your brick anyway.

As for the cable… DON’T CHEAP OUT! Don’t buy the gas station cheapie, don’t save bucks here. You don’t have to buy an overpriced Apple cable, but if you go for something cheaper, choose an Anker, or another established brand. You see all USB-C cords might look the same, but they are not, there are chips in the Apple cord, making sure you get just the right amount of juice to your iPhone, so it doesn’t burn up.

And one more thing, warranty…

The Amex Platinum card will cover you, but only up to $800. That’s gonna hurt if you lose your iPhone 15 Pro Max. Even worse, you might be getting a discount from your provider for going paperless. Usually if you use your Amex Platinum card, you lose the discount.

If you’re worried about loss and theft, buy AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss. Oh, it makes no sense financially, but it gives you complete peace of mind, if that means anything to you. I’ve never lost a phone, never even broken one, but with this coverage I don’t worry about it. I’ll shoot in the rain, take my phone out on a cliff, while in a boat, knowing I’m covered. And Apple will get you a new phone almost instantly, without having to jump through too many hoops. You can buy coverage from your provider, and it’s usually cheaper, but not as comprehensive, and more difficult to collect. You can choose.

As for phone support… Most people won’t need it, and Google can answer most of your questions, but it is good to know you can call, frequently about integration with your other Apple devices, and get an answer, that’s what AppleCare provides.

As to your other devices… Really, if you have an iPhone, you should go Mac. Now if you’ve got to use a PC for business, I understand it. If you’re used to a PC and loath to switch, it’s really not difficult, and the Apple Store will walk you through the process, teach you for free.

And it used to be that Macs were overpriced. But if money is your issue, you can now buy a MacBook Air for a grand. As for the extra money, your Mac will last longer in utility, and the difference will be a wash.

As for which MacBook Air to buy…

Well, let’s start by saying only buy a MacBook Air if you’re going to transport it, move it around, because it’s inherently hobbled, otherwise go for a MacBook Pro, the 13″ starts at $1299 and is more powerful and will last longer than the Air.

But if totability is key… You can get an Air… I’m always into the most screen real estate possible. So that would augur for a MacBook Air 15″, but if you’re buying an Air for portability, do you really want a bigger device?

As for chips and speed and storage… As long as it’s an M chip, they’re all good, they’re all fast, but the newer and more powerful the better. And the devices now come with enough RAM, which was not the case previously. Well, except for the 13″ Air, which like I said above, is inherently hobbled. It comes with 8GB of RAM, I’d bump it to 16, and only 256 GB of storage, and you need at least 512… As for storage, it’s not like the old days, with so much living in the cloud, the only thing that eats up a lot of storage space is photos, but they can eat up a lot of space. And if you’re making movies…buy more storage, and you might even need an external device too.

All the MacBooks are of recent vintage, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy any of them now.

As for the iMac… Absolutely do not buy one now. They’re going to introduce a new, updated model imminently. Wait.

As for a 27″ iMac… There have been some rumors that it will reappear, but don’t hold your breath, if you want 27″ of screen real estate, and believe me, it makes a difference, opt for a Mac Studio. You do not need the M2 Ultra…or let me say if you do, you know. The M2 Ultra doesn’t even make a difference with most everyday tasks. It only adds speed with a few high-tech applications, mostly video. So save $2000.

So you’re in for $1999. You can buy the basic Mac Studio, although I’d bump up storage, probably even the M2 Max chip and I’d go for 64GB of RAM, but it’s not necessary.

But then comes the problem, the screen. The Apple Studio Display, for $1599, is long in the tooth and was behind the times when it was launched eighteen months ago. Don’t buy it, it’s a rip-off. Apple needs a new Studio Display, when will it come? No one is sure, everybody hopes soon, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, Samsung just introduced a new 5k screen for the same price that is thoroughly up-to-date. Sure, you’ll lose a little bit of functionality, integration with the Mac Studio, but you’ll get a much better display. As for the speakers in the Apple Studio Display… I mean if you’re listening to audio via your display, why are you buying a Mac Studio to begin with? A waste of money.

Now what Apple is selling is an ecosystem, everything works together, seamlessly, with added productivity. And if there is a problem, you can get answers, you won’t hear that someone else made the device and there’s nothing they can do.

But it all starts with the iPhone. The iPhone is the most important device you own. Period. Ignore all the screeds about being on the phone too long, the phone is your right hand, you can’t live without it, you need to call up an Uber, order food, connect with friends, research, it’s an amazing piece of kit. You want a great phone, don’t chintz. Furthermore, a great phone will give you more functionality. There is so much power in the iPhone, more than you can ever use. Your friends will give you some tips, like with AirDrop, but the better the phone the more you can do with it and the faster you can do it.

You need a new iPhone, it’s just a matter of when.

And don’t get emotional about it, don’t talk about planned obsolescence, don’t talk about the Apple premium, don’t go on an anti-tech rant, because then you’ll just look ignorant, the joke will be on you.

You’ll want a new iPhone, it’s just a matter of when.

And when you get one, be sure to go for the Pro, otherwise you’re being blind to the math and losing functionality in the process. And believe me, you want that functionality, don’t hobble yourself. Think about all that power in the palm of your hand for so little money, it’s incredible. Oh, the places you will go, and what you will see… A great smartphone enriches your life, and you want an iPhone. Period.

Tune in Saturday September 16th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

Every rich person needs to go. Not to one in the tony suburbs, but the inner city, where all classes meet.

That’s one of the main problems in America today, the classes don’t interact, therefore the wealthy have no idea of the life of those working with their hands, counting pennies. You don’t have to be poor to go to Costco, but the richer you are, the less chance you’re there.

Kind of like gas prices. It’s over six bucks in L.A. I paid just under last night at the Shell on Van Nuys Boulevard, which is always the cheapest brand name outlet in the area, and my car gets terrible gas mileage, but at least it’s paid for. And it is a car, not an SUV. And when I’m driving I’m surrounded by these monstrosities, forget the RAV4 and CRVs, there are giant Suburbans, and Navigators, and BMW X7s and Audi Q8s and Land Cruisers and G-Wagons, all brand new, how do people pay for the gas, never mind the lease payments?

But they don’t matter to many. Of course there are those strutting their stuff, putting up a false face, but in truth most of the people driving these boxes on wheels can afford the gas, they don’t even think about it, the biggest headache is going to the gas station to fill them up!

So I had to get my tires rotated. I bought ’em at Pep Boys… Bottom line, tire places are now fungible, they all charge almost the same price. If you’re buying your tires online at the Tire Rack, you just haven’t investigated your local shops fully. And Pep Boys is disorganized and untogether, but the work gets done. And the tires fall apart and get replaced under warranty.

Yes, I buy top of the line Michelins, Pilot Sports, and they’re warranted for 40,000 miles, but once you hit 20,000 you’re taking your life in your hands, for they’re nearly bald. And my car wears tires out on the inside, don’t ask me why, it’s a feature, not a bug. So in order to maintain the warranty, I get them rotated regularly. Also, to balance the inner tire wear. And I bought lifetime alignment, so I get that done too. Although it took them a hell of a long time to find that in the computer today.

The guy who waited on me was of Eastern European heritage. And I’m wondering if this is a good job for him. Not speaking the language perfectly when he came here, being unskilled. But how much money could he make? And I’m standing there staring at him while he wrestles with the computer, and I see that he’s actually kind of cute. Maybe he’s a ladies man. But is he living for the outside, is the job just for money? I’ve had those jobs, they’re intolerable, you’re constantly watching the clock, counting down the hours and adding up the dollars in your wallet.

So Hasek tells me it’s going to take two hours, and that’s too long to wait, but Felice is on the phone, so I amble across the parking lot to Costco.

This is Van Nuys. Which I only knew from the bottle of shampoo my mother purchased. I’d study it taking a bath. Van Nuys, California…hmm, sounds exotic. It’s not.

Now theoretically you’ve got to be a member to go into Costco, but I am not. But I do buy from Costco, via Instacart, but that was during Covid, should I purchase a membership?

Oh, I’ve been to Costco a number of times. It’s not like I’m completely inexperienced. And sure, I wanted to check prices, but even more I wanted to wander around and look at the merchandise. It’s kind of like going to the stereo store in the seventies, it’s overwhelming, yet intriguing.

They were selling top of the line LG OLEDs. The price didn’t seem that good, and I just checked it, you can actually get the TV for $150 less on Amazon, Costco is not always cheaper. But I was overwhelmed by the size of new TVs. 77″ is now the standard, 85″ is available. And if you’re willing to forgo the latest picture technology, you can buy a giant TV for a reasonable price. It’s like Tower Records in the old days, they’re stacked up, just waiting for you to carry one home.

And I’m looking for the Vitamin Water I buy online and I encounter the free samples. I always feel guilty eating these, because usually I have no intention of buying the product, but they don’t really seem to mind at Costco. I’ve already forgotten what I first sampled, because at the next stand they were giving away Hostess cupcakes, you know, with the circles on top, the real thing. These were exotic back in the day. And delicious, I always preferred the cupcakes to the snowballs. And I really shouldn’t be eating it, but I had to have a bite before I tossed the rest.

And the prices for the food… The shrimp, they were giving it away. And the thing about Costco is all the food is good. I’d trust Costco food before Ralphs’s. And I’m starting to ponder buying a membership.

And then I’m debating the time. I love a casual visit to Costco, but what if I had to go regularly? I mean the line to check out… There were many registers open, but they all had lines, and nobody was buying just one or two items.

And then I wandered into the drug/supplement line. The deals were amazing. About sixty cents on the dollar compared to Amazon. And it’s cognitive dissonance, I’m blowing thousands in one shot on dentistry and I’m saving dollars on household products? I mean we all want to save money, but is it worth it? I mean is the time worth it. Or should you have it all delivered for a bit more. And you’re saving gas money and helping the environment. But my radar is off. I won’t pay for business class on a short flight, but when does it pay to splurge? I mean you can save pennies here and then blow thousands there.

And Felice was on a phone call and couldn’t yet pick me up, so I decided to have a hot dog. But I didn’t know the new system. You don’t pay at the window, you pay in advance. You click on a picture of what you want on a screen, run your credit card, get a slip and cash it in. But my credit card wouldn’t work. I’ve got a free Amex platinum card, and to make it look distinguished, they fabricate it out of metal. But it doesn’t work in parking meters, and it wouldn’t work at Costco. Was there a secret handshake, did the computer know I was not a member? I stepped back after three false tries and saw a picture of the plastic you could use and I whipped out my debit card and bought a hot dog and a drink for a buck fifty.

And then I got in line. The guy in front of me was allowing too large a space because he was watching a TV program on his phone. But could I blame him? He was making the most of his time, and no one was cutting ahead of him to boot.

And having eliminated payment, the people behind the glass, the worker bees, are just focused on fulfillment. Old people, who should have earned the right to retire. If you’re working with your hands, standing on your feet, you’re entitled to lay back at some point, ride out the rest of your years on the couch, but too many can’t afford it. I’m watching the system, it’s fascinating. The food becomes secondary to delivery. I’ve always thought that if I was involved in food service I’d eat constantly, but what was behind the glass was not appealing. Oh, the food was appealing, but when one young woman poured a heaping plastic jug of strawberry juice into the ice cream machine, it was almost gross.

I’d love to tell you the new all-beef hot dog is as good as the Hebrew National ones they used to sell, but that would be untrue. It’s edible, but not delectable. But I’d be lying if I said it did not hit the spot. And the condiments, it’s unlike most outlets. You push the relish button and a bunch of relish comes out, not just a dribble.

But what fascinated me most about Costco was the people. No one was dressed up. Who knows, especially in Southern California, you can look like a homeless person and be rich. But most looked like they didn’t work in air-conditioning and they were out to save a buck. All colors, all ethnicities, we were all in it together. Twice people bumped into me and apologized. Most places people don’t even look back, or yell it’s your fault. The rich are grubbing for advantage, not worrying about the rest, but when you’re average, you watch out for each other, you feel like you’re all in it together.

And although I felt somewhat alien, I did not feel superior. But then I thought of people I knew who wouldn’t be caught dead in Costco. It’s beneath them. They don’t want to hang with those people. As if something would rub off.

And then there are their children, who’ve never been exposed to the way the rest of us live. They’ve only flown private, they live behind gates, go to private schools…they’re blind to the human condition.

And in truth, it works the opposite way. If people saw how the rich truly lived, there’d be revolution in the streets. Never mind the fact that they don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Oh, don’t bother me with that hogwash about the rich paying the lion’s share of taxes. The more you make, the more you pay. But the percentage may be less. Leaving you with more, much more. And when you add in trusts and investment income, there are so many ways to avoid taxes. Even worse… I went to the accountant this week, we got a filing reprieve in California until 10/15. And she’s asking me for my estimated tax receipts. I always used to make copies of the checks, but I learned the hard way never to send a check in the mail ever again. So I pay online, and I get an e-mail confirmation, and do I need to print that out? I told the accountant I’d paid. She told me so many people say they paid, but had not. I said that wasn’t my personality, I’d paid, I could provide records, but then it occurred to me how easy it was to cheat on your taxes. And the odds of getting audited… Have been worse if you’re poor! If Donald Trump had not raised his profile, become president, his tax shenanigans never would have surfaced. What they did with giving the family money and then the family overcharging for services… You probably don’t even understand, your taxes are easy, you work for the man. But trust me, Trump cheated, it’s in black and white. But Trump isn’t the only one. Yet the goal of the right is to defund the IRS, characterizing it as a vulture operation that’s going to screw you. You can’t be screwed, because you get a weekly paycheck, with deductions. But the wealthy? Let the game begin.

That’s America, it’s a two-tiered system, in income, in justice, in so many ways. And neither side truly knows what is going on with the other.

The people at Costco were looking to save money. It’s an effort to shop at Costco. A thrill for someone like me, but not for so many who have families, who are trying to make ends meet.

And on the way out I saw the vision department and thought about how Luxottica owns all the frame companies and rips the regular customer off, and then the prescription department, and I realized that Costco is an entire mentality, in some ways a middle finger to the system. The people who shop at Costco are smart, they don’t want to be ripped-off. And they trust Costco. The same way I trust Amazon. Ever have a problem with Amazon? The customer service is amazing. You got the wrong product? They take the charge off your bill and tell you to keep it.

And all this happened, I experienced all this, learned all this, once I walked out the front door. And in truth I rarely have to walk out the front door anymore. So much is virtual, so much is delivered direct, that ultimately I’m isolated, and I’m not the only one.

We still haven’t recovered from Covid. There are a ton of shows, but the social scene of the music business, the lunches and dinners…that hasn’t fully come back.

It’s different.

I can understand people not wanting to return to the office. And oftentimes people are more productive at home, never mind saving the time it takes to commute. But something has been lost.

But it’s not only about a return to the office. We’ve all burrowed down into our own little holes. You used to have to leave the house to meet people, to get a date, now you can do that from the comfort of your own home. All this talk about a loneliness epidemic, men having no friends, I understand it. But we can’t demonize the internet, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me, we can reach out and touch so many, we’re never completely alone. But the human touch is important too. We no longer bowl together, and who even bowls anyway? Hanging with the masses, those you don’t know, is anathema. We all live in the country, but we are not all in it together.

Unless you’re at Costco. It’s a melting pot, and being there felt good. Everyone should experience it.