Florida Man kills python by throwing an alligator at it requiring insurance claims on three totaled tricycles?
Last week, I let you know I was on a 9-hour train trip from NYC to Pittsburgh to visit my favorite cousin, Robb, and my Great Uncle Herby. Because they wouldn’t let me drive the train, I was able to work the entire trip. Robb picked me up from the station and we headed across the street to a fantastic steak and jazz place where I found out they served steak “Pittsburgh style”. That’s blackened on the outside and medium rare on the inside for those of us not familiar with Pittsburgh-ease.
Because I was there for five days, Robb and I had more time together than we’ve ever had before. When I was little, he was my very cool older cousin. He was into music, played in a band, was an artist and athlete, had a fun sense of style, and was always dating pretty girls. As an adult, he kept his charm and artistic interests while learning about business, politics, and economics. He was a bad student who became a doctor. Robb is irrepressible. Life has knocked him on his rear multiple times and he always gets back up and gets to work fixing things. Right now, he’s happier and more successful than he’s ever been because he’s one of the most resilient people I’ve ever known. Whatever happens to you, get back up. Always.
Saturday was a special day for us. I met Robb at his office where he saw patients and I worked in the morning. Then, we headed to Mineo’s Pizza in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Robb wrote a song about Mineo’s that was played on the radio. That turned into a video and I think there was some TV coverage as well. Robb goes there every week, but I improved his usual order by adding extra sauce to the pizza. If you’re interested in more value-added decision-making, you’re welcome to subscribe to Deep Knowledge Investing. For an extra fee I’ll also make pizza recommendations in addition to our stock picks.
After lunch, we drove to Bubbe’s house. Bubbe was Robb’s grandmother and my great grandmother. She lived in a three-story house for decades and rented out the top two floors to other families. Her family fled Russia when she was young and like Robb, she was resilient, loving, and cheerful. She learned to drive at a later age and despite no automatic transmission, no power steering, and barely being tall enough to see over the steering wheel. Despite all of that, she managed to get around after her third husband died. (Bubbe was quite a character.) She was legendary for being a terrible cook. We loved her, but I still have nightmares of some cold green soup I had to eat when I was seven.
Robb and me in front of Bubbe’s house.
I also had a lot of time with my Great Uncle Herby. He’s the most charming positive person I’ve ever known. When I was young, my parents would throw parties and hire a piano player to entertain. Uncle Herby would always sit himself next to the musician, pick the next song, and lead the singing. Herby is 96 now. He’s still mentally sharp, but he’s slowing with age and walks with a bit of difficulty. I love my time with him, but we’re at the point where every visit might be the last one. I’m glad I made the trip and extended it past the weekend.
On Wednesday, I caught a flight to Florida. The “Florida Man” meme is one of the best I’ve seen on X (formerly Twitter). It comes with headlines like “Florida Man kills python by throwing an alligator at it requiring insurance claims on three totaled tricycles”. Last week, someone posed the question of who would win; 100 British men or 100 Americans. The clever ones in the crowd responded that we’d already had that fight in 1776 and the matter has been resolved. The funny ones replied that one Florida Man could handle it.
The trip was my first time on a Southwest flight. Overall, it was a good flying experience. My bag was a few pounds overweight, and they wanted to charge me $150. My ticket allowed two checked bags, so I let the agent know I had a backpack in my suitcase and could check that with a few items in it to bring the first bag below the limit. I let him know that the plane would still be carrying the same weight but with two separate bags for them to track. They still made me reorganize and check the small backpack separately. On one hand, I understand there have to be rules, but I’d like to see some common sense applied to our transportation system.
When I arrived, I headed to Howard Freedland’s home in Jupiter. Howard is a member of the DKI Board of Advisors, and my best friend since our first day of nursery school together. We’ve been the closest of friends for half a century going so far back that I don’t remember us meeting. Like Raji, Howard is an excellent chef. He made an incredible meal and I was able to catch up with his wife, Tracey, and his sons, Jared and Peyton. After dinner, Jared joined us for some small batch bourbon; the first time he and I have had a drink together. The prior week, I was at Raji’s son’s First Communion so we’ve had lots of meaningful moments in just the first month of my year of travel.
When I travel, I tend to pay attention to the differences I see everywhere. As much as I write about inflation, it’s still been shocking to me how expensive things are in NYC and in South Florida. Raji and I had basic meals in NYC that ran about $200 for the two of us and neither of us are big drinkers. A couple of nights ago, I had a $44 blackened mahi mahi sandwich and it wasn’t at a fancy place. Sure, that was with tax and tip, but it’s clear why so much of the country is facing lifestyle and financial problems. These prices are not sustainable for most people.
I spent the weekend reading at the beach and open-water swimming. Next week, I’ll have the chance to meet three DKI clients who I’ve spoken to often but haven’t met in person. On Tuesday, I’ll head to Naples where I’m having dinner with Tracy Shuchart (@chigrl). I’ve known Tracy for years, but we’ve never met in person. On Wednesday, the team at NinjaTrader (@NinjaTrader) is hosting me for the morning show. I was on their show a month ago and am looking forward to filming with them in-studio and meeting everyone.
It was a good week for DKI subscribers as well. One of our large positions announced earnings last week and the stock rose 50% in the following days. We also got some positive news on authID ($AUID) as management announced they were in contract negotiations with multiple large potential customers. There was some interesting news in the proxy statement as well.
As always, I’ll be working and writing along the way, and if you have any questions or comments, reach out at IR@DeepKnowledgeInvesting.com. What’s your best Florida Man headline?
