Kurt Goetzinger

10/09/2026

Rest in peace, Coach.
I just heard the sad news. Mike Ditka was one of a kind. On the field, he was a Monster. Off it, he was a big, cuddly teddy bear, and I had the honor of seeing that for myself when I met him in Lincoln, Nebraska, back in 1991, when I was in college. I still smile thinking about it.

Thank you for the memories, Coach. Bear Down.

10/09/2026

I was very nervous as I walked into that room.
Reporters from across Argentina gathered in the Tonadita conference room to hear the story of the butter, the cruise ship, and how a goofy 51-second video reached 1,000,000+ people. I'm a marketing guy who usually works behind the story, and suddenly I was the one telling it.
It went better than I could have hoped. I met some wonderful journalists, and I think I understand a little better why they came. People enjoy seeing others take real pride in a country's food and products, and they enjoy seeing an outsider fall for them. In a world full of heavy news, we are hungry for positive stories, especially ones that show how different cultures can be, and how much we have in common.

Thank you to Tonadita for sharing this video, for hosting Jenny and me in Argentina, and for the relationship we've built. I'm grateful, and a little humbled. I also spoke with the owners about ways Tonadita might one day expand further into the U.S. market. It's early, and we're simply exploring, but I'm excited about what could come from it. 💙

10/07/2026

If you plan to visit Argentina, be sure to schedule a few days in Villa Maria. This city is special. There are many beautiful things to see in Argentina in general, but I really connected with this community. I wish my wife and I could have spent more time while we were there. We even joked that we wished we could buy a vacation home there and spend our North American winters down in Villa Maria. ❤️🇦🇷

10/07/2026

Exciting News! Californians can now cut their electric bill significantly with a solar panel they plug directly into a wall outlet.
Governor Newsom signed SB 868 on September 30th, legalizing plug-in solar in the largest state in the country. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

How it works: a few compact panels, a small inverter, a cord. Hang them on a railing, set them in the backyard, or put them on a shed roof. Kits run $300 to $2,200, and they cost so little because you install them yourself.
For the household: these systems can cover up to 20% of a home's electricity needs, chipping away at the standby load from your refrigerator, router, and everything else drawing power around the clock. California's new registration is free and immediate, replacing a utility interconnection that could run $100 to $800.
For the grid: the law caps systems at 1,200 watts and requires an anti-islanding feature that stops power from feeding back during an outage, which protects line workers. Thousands of small systems generating on a hot afternoon means less strain on local infrastructure at exactly the hour it needs relief.
For the planet: every watt made on a patio is a watt a power plant doesn't burn fuel to produce. Germany has made this ordinary. 10 US states now have laws on the books, with Utah first in March 2025.

I'm watching this one closely. Villa Terra is a sustainability project I'm launching in Omaha in 2027, and plug-in solar is exactly the kind of practical, affordable technology I want to test and document there. Nebraska has no state law yet, though OPPD does allow plug-in solar through their standard interconnection process.

The technology works. The economics work. What's missing is American companies building the hardware, and a market this size is a hard signal to ignore.

https://www.kqed.org/science/2002120/california-officially-legalizes-balcony-solar-opening-the-market-to-the-new-technology

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to make it simpler for Californians to install plug-in solar panels. Models that meet state standards are expected to be on sale in mid-2027.

10/06/2026

This tour was incredible! We learned all about how they make the butter, cheese, cream cheese, and more. First class operation. ❤️🇦🇷🧈

10/05/2026

Leaving Córdoba today. We figured a city this big would have a huge, intimidating airport. It doesn’t. It’s warm, calm, and full of kind people.
We’d only been here a few minutes when a few groups of folks stopped to say hello because of the Tonadita video. I’m still a little amazed by that. Then we met Irene and Roby from Villa María, the very town where is made! I told them I’d fallen in love with their city, and I meant it. ❤️🇦🇷

And then something REALLY odd happened at security…
While emptying my pockets, I found a small fortune (like in a fortune cookie) tucked in my bag. I didn’t buy it. Nobody handed it to me. It was just there. It said I’d soon find myself in a city I’ve never explored.

I’ll take that!

Exploring is my favorite part of travel. New streets, new food, new people who feel like old friends by the end of the conversation. So finding that little note on our way out felt like a quiet wink from this country.

Argentina, you’ve been so generous and welcoming to us. We’re sad to go. I love you, and I hope you’ll welcome us back again someday.

Gracias, Argentina. Hasta pronto.

09/16/2026

It all started with a pad of butter.
7 months ago, a goofy video on a cruise ship somehow connected me with the wonderful people in Argentina. Now, we’re going there ourselves.
Buenos Aires. Córdoba. And the people who welcomed us like family before we ever left the ship.

Todo empezó con una manteca. Nos vemos en Córdoba. Gracias por tanto.

Trip of a lifetime, coming soon. 🇦🇷

09/16/2026

Some nights, dinner from scratch just isn’t happening, and tonight was one of them.
Work was full-on crazy busy all day, and by evening I was ready to wave the white flag. So I made a run to Trader Joe’s for a stack of frozen Indian food instead of firing up my own stove. We split everything three ways: vegetable samosas, chicken tikka masala, and a lamb vindaloo. Genuinely satisfying, and not a shred of guilt about it.
Since I gave up drinking alcohol 7 months ago, I’ve been on the hunt for something new to sip on, so I grabbed a bottle of Malta Goya to try. It’s a sweet, non-alcoholic malt beverage, rich with notes of molasses and toasted caramel, somewhere between a dark b**r and root b**r. Tasty, no question. But at 270 calories a bottle, it’s a bit rich for a regular habit. I’m watching my calories these days, and if I’m going to splurge on something, I’d rather it be a cookie. So half the bottle was plenty.
A busy day, an easy dinner, and a new drink to cross off the list. Not a bad Tuesday.

09/12/2026

There’s a chill in the air today that says autumn is almost here, and we knew exactly where to go to celebrate it.
We found Jillian’s Produce last year and have been waiting for it to reopen ever since. The second we saw they were back for the season, we made a beeline over. This family-owned farm stand sources fresh, locally grown produce straight from family farms in Yutan and Elkhorn, and this time of year, it turns into an absolute autumn wonderland.
The pumpkin and squash selection here is genuinely incredible, more varieties than I can count, piled high and ready for decorating. We loaded up on both, plus a loaf of homemade bread, enough to decorate our own house and the community garden too.
If you’re anywhere near northwest Omaha, this place is worth the drive. You’ll find them at 156th and Fort Street.
Support local, eat local, and get yourself into the fall spirit while you’re at it.