Belmont Stakes Prep, Film Photography & Tech Stock Holds
Posted by Pat Hathaway | May 25, 2026
The coffee is exceptionally strong this morning, mostly because I need it to drown out the sound of Big Boy Dan recalibrating his entire life philosophy. We are sitting on the patio, the marine layer is burning off, and the Laurel Park hangover is officially in the rearview mirror.
Saratoga Dreams and The Belmont Board
Dan has ceremoniously burned his Preakness betting slips. After Great White ran out of gas and finished sixth at Laurel Park, Dan spent three days claiming the dirt was rigged. Now, his amnesia has kicked in, and he is laser-focused on the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
The Belmont Stakes is running at Saratoga again this year due to the ongoing construction at Belmont Park. Dan is already scouting the morning line and pulling historical track data from
ESPN’s horse racing coverage to figure out his next move.
He is convinced that Saratoga’s tighter turns will favor a closer, but I’m keeping my wallet firmly shut for now. I played the Exacta beautifully at the Derby, and I’m perfectly content to sit back, sip my bourbon, and watch Dan try to outsmart the oddsmakers. The house always has the edge, but don’t tell Dan that when he’s on a redemption mission.
Ditching the Plastic Computer for Silver Halides
Speaking of redemption missions, I decided to throw Judge Roy Bacon a bone this weekend. He has been relentlessly mocking my Sony mirrorless camera, claiming that the AI bird-eye tracking lacks the true “soul” of photography.
So, I left the plastic computer in the safe. I dug out my old Nikon F3, loaded it with a roll of Ilford HP5 black and white film, and hauled the ATV up toward the Eastern Sierra to shoot some old mining ruins.
There is absolutely no safety net with a fully manual, 35mm film camera. You meter the light with your eyes, you feel the mechanical snap of the shutter, and you pray the silver halides do their job. It’s a completely different rhythm. I spent the afternoon crawling around rusted mining equipment, manually racking focus, and remembering what it feels like to actually craft an exposure rather than letting an algorithm calculate it.
“I shot a roll of HP5, Roy. No batteries, no AI, no menus. Just mechanics and light. I expect a handwritten apology by Tuesday.”
Data Centers and Diamond Hands
While I was out romanticizing vintage camera gear, the modern tech world was busy paying for my road trips. I checked my portfolio when I finally got back to a cell tower, and the AI infrastructure boom is still carrying the market.
My core positions in
AMZN and
MSFT are humming along beautifully. If you look at the recent global market data on
Bloomberg’s market analysis, the capital expenditure into data centers is staggering. I’m holding these positions with absolute diamond hands. The long-term play here is bulletproof, and it keeps the gas tank full and the betting accounts properly funded.
Comments
BigBoyDan: Saratoga is a different animal, Pat. Great White is going to redeem himself. I can feel it in my bones.
JudgeRoy: An F3? Finally, Patrick. Maybe there is a glimmer of hope for you yet. Let me know when you develop the negatives.
