Richard V. Rupp

December 11, 2021

Good Saturday afternoon. I'm author Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES posts.

 

I just got back from my second visit this week with a chiropractor. My back went out when I got up from the couch a couple of weeks ago. I blame part of my problem on getting older, but I have a history of back problems. Back in 1998, when I lived in San Mateo and was working for California Casualty Insurance Company, I remember my back went out when I bent over to tie my shoes. I was in so much pain that I went to the emergency room, and it took several weeks to heal.

 

Tonight, I'm headed down San Fernando Road here in Burbank to the Urban Press Winery for their ugly Christmas sweater night. I couldn't find a really ugly sweater, so I'm not about the win the contest they are having. But I did find some hideous Christmas socks that I will point out to everyone. It should be fun. With any luck, my back will hold up for the evening.

 

Months ago, in one of my posts, I disagreed with many that were saying that the high inflation rate was tied to the Covid-19 virus and would go away soon. While some of the inflation was and is linked to Covid-19, the new government programs involving physical and so-called social infrastructure and the tight labor market will continue to support high inflation rates for some time to come. I love it when I can say I told you so. Inflation for November came in at 6.8 percent year-on-year in data released Friday, surpassing October's read of 6.2 percent. These are the highest inflation numbers in a generation.

 

A little nostalgia. An article in the LA TIMES by Rachel Schnalzer titled "A parallel Hollywood story" reminded me of growing up in West Hollywood, with a lot of behind the camera movie families and of a giant oil derrick sitting in the middle of the La Cienega and Beverly Boulevard intersection.

 

Here's a little bit from the article – "Although the movie business certainly played a role in Los Angeles' development during the 20th century, the oil industry also spurred the growth of what is now the second-largest city in the United States.

 

'Oil, motion pictures and real estate were like the trifecta of forces that were attracting migrants to come west to L.A.,' said Becky Nicolaides, a research affiliate at USC and UCLA. 'Oil was kind of right up there with the glamour of Hollywood.'

 

The oil industry has 'been integrated into L.A. culture historically for a long time. . . After all, 'the Grove is built on top of a former drill site…. We're still dealing with the legacy of oil and gas production 150 years ago.'"

 

Now it's time to get back to working on the manuscript for SKYWARD. The plot does involve the Bowman family getting rich from the California oil industry. And a little Hollywood hanky-panky from one of the family members. Boy, there's an old-time term.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp