Chris and Ashley are continuing the yard sale at our house today; Carolyn chose not to participate this time. Sammy is sleeping in his crib which is right behind where I am sitting. He is a bit restless and so I will be lucky to get any learning into his memory.
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Still haven’t gotten the “Life is Good” Blu-Ray player to stay connected to the internet; I will give LG one more chance to tell me how to correctly fix it. I have to leave it perpetually “on”; the internet setup as a big hassle. If they cannot satisfy me, I will return it to Amazon and get a Roku receiver in its place. The LG provides a beautiful display for our DVD’s and Netflix movies, but I am an miser and don’t like to leave anything or anyone turned on when they are not being used.
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Netflix needs to get its streaming movie list improved; most of the shows are junk and even old movies that are popular cannot be found. For instance, I have never seen Ocean’s 11 starring George Clooney but Netflix doesn’t offer the 10 year old flick in its lineup. Instead, it offers one starring Fran Sinatra from 1960. I suppose the movie companies control some of this, but Netflix should be able to do better.
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No video today; I can’t test them out with Sammy asleep behind me.
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Last weekend in July … make it a good one!
Thin Lizzy is one of the most underrated rock bands in the history of history. I think their little foray into the world of disco hurt them immensely with mainstream rockers, but if the front man had not died, I believe they would have been forgiven and gone on to receive the acclimation that most of their music deserved.
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I’m still here … since about 3pm Wednesday, I have been trying to get the Blu-Ray player to stay connected to the internet when it is powered off, and trying to get Netflix to work when the Blu-Ray player (with internet receiver built in) is working. Finally got Netflix on after two calls to support but still when I turn the player off, it disconnects from the router and I have to use my laptop computer while sitting in front of the TV and go through a reconnect procedure to get back on the net. We contacted LG, the maker of the Blu-Ray player, twice and they had me reset the machine back to factory defaults, go through the entire setup procedure once more, but it did not fix the problem. All I can do is leave the player on all the time. I suppose I will return the player to Amazon and try some other device to make this stuff work.
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Sammy is over while his mom runs errands; so far he has grunted and slept. He doesn’t seem to be in any mood for further training in the fine art of being a desirable stud so I will hold off to later. Chris and Ashley are going to try to finish the rain-shortened yard sale tomorrow; I will maybe have some chances to continue his education when no one is looking or listening.
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Have a super weekend!
Even CNN superstar Piers Morgan seems about to fall because of the ongoing phone-hacking scandal in England, or maybe he will fall because he was unwise enough (stupid?; mean?) to ever get involved in something like that to begin with. For profits, CNN long ago decided to do away with most of their hard news coverage in favor of a tabloid tell-all format. Over the years they have had some doozies; with Nancy Grace vying with Glen Beck as the goofiest. They seem to be vying with Fox News to see which one can hire the most outrageous airheads. If I were Wolf Blitzer, I would enter a monastery from which never to emerge; he was once a very good political reporter and deserves better than being castrated on tabloid TV. Money talks.
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I hope Jola will get us some photos of this “house” if she has the time. maybe D. could get one with her standing in front. I could lose a few more pounds of weight and be happy living in one of these.
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Have a good mid-week; surprise someone with a hug … preferably me!
From ScienceDaily: … when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.
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Movie trailer for Cowboys & Aliens to be released this Friday.
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Google’s new Google+ Facebook type service is getting some bad press this week. The company has and is suspending many accounts over Terms of Service violations. However, when they suspend or delete these offending accounts, they are also taking away access to other Google accounts, including the extremely popular Gmail. Google is in financial position to be the neighborhood bully, but bullies usually fall hard when their time is up; the clock is ticking.
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I watched and listened to Mr. Obama say his words last night and it was much as expected. He claims that Americans want compromise; I say that is the same political rhetoric that kept me from voting in 2008. I as an American want leadership; I want a president who is not afraid to bully his own party and the opposition party factions. The Republicans have strong leadership, although it is a misguided ship of fools. Big money is beginning to jump on the Tea Party boat, and many mainstream Republicans are going where the money is just like they always have. One Tea Party leader said a few months ago that by 2018 the splinter group will be the Republican party; I would not bet against his prediction. The only thing that can save this country is the people, and they seem to be still believing in any drivel that politicians care to expel. I see no trend to a general disgust with these politicians the voters elected, although those idiots will allow the country to go to hell because of sick ideologies. If the government is forced to shut down, will Congressional representatives still draw their fat paychecks and benefits while we on Social Security go hungry.? You bet your ass they will!
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After six months of threatening to do so, I am finally getting the oven cleaned! Actually all I have to do is press three buttons on the stove and the rest is automatic. However, my time is very important and it takes about a minute to walk to the kitchen, push the buttons, and get back to my desk; such a waste of precious seconds!
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Still haven’t seen Sammy lately …
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Have a Tuesday!
Just think; the two most opposite critters on the planet that seem to continuously have sex with their individual selves are microbes and humans. Bacteria and other single cell organisms are forever dividing and creating clones; humans are forever sneaking into secluded places and masturbating, fantasizing about breeding with another person. Microbes are acting by Nature’s instructions but shame, shame on you humans; don’t you know that playing with yourself will cause you to go blind, or even worse, make you grow hair on the palms of your hands?!
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When the Medicare and Social Security limitations are passed in whatever new budget our wise leaders decide is best for the country, think of Big Insurance and its influence on Congress. Insurance companies are exceedingly vexed at Obama and Democratic legislators for passing a health care act that may–in some cases and somewhere down the road–reduce their gigantic profits by miniscule amounts. A good way to deal with the small losses is insure that they make even larger profits and a way to accomplish it is have Republican legislators demand that Medicare and Social Security benefits be cut. When Medicare benefits are reduced, it will allow the insurers who provide Medi-gap insurance to raise their rates dramatically on the people who have to have but can least afford it. Medicare will not be paying as much and the insurers will have to pay more for each medical procedure, including simple checkups. For the geezers to be able to buy it, they will have to spend more of their meager Social Security benefits on insurance premiums and less on food and rent. I’m talking about folks who depend on their monthly S.S. checks to pay for their entire living; these people don’t have 401k’s to supplement their income; S.S. is all they have. People like my aunt who stayed home and raised a family instead of entering the job market until she was forced to do so by Reaganomics are already in dire straits. She, after Medicare deductions, draws less than $500 per month and cannot afford supplemental insurance. Even as much as Carolyn has worked and paid into the system over the past 30 years, she will draw only a bit more than $500 per month after Medicare Part B is deducted and that doesn’t include prescription coverage for which the insurers garner huge profits. After all, the Bush prescription insurance law was written by insurance company lawyers.
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Found on the net: “Everyone has a secret they haven’t shared. Everyone has a past no one’s heard about. Everyone has talents that people don’t notice. Everyone has weaknesses hidden inside. Everyone has a story left untold, so never start judging someone thinking you know them back to front. Because the truth is, you probably don’t.”
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Have a sooper-dooper Worsh day!
We went abode shopping yesterday; it is going to be difficult to find something suitable that will allow parking for four or more autos; the Escape, possibly two vans, and JJ's car ... plus visitors. We found several we can afford but parking is a stickler.
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As I recently commented, we got the Escape paid off and the title in our grimy hands; now the ABS light is coming on and the brakes are acting silly. It always seems to happen whenever we get a car paid off it begins to drop off pieces here and there along the road. The old Ford has been a good one, though; all it ever needed repaired was the throttle position sensor at $70. Back when I used to have to drive junkers most of the time, I remember driving awhile then pulling over to the side of the road and climbing under the hood or under the car, putting something back in place or making a temporary repair, and then driving again for awhile until something else went wrong. I was young then and it wasn't as vexing as it would be today. I recall one Chevy that had a rear universal joint that had bearings left only on two sides instead of four sides; I'd drive a few miles, the back end of the drive-shaft would fall out on the road, I would pull over, climb under the car with a wrench, and in just a few moments it would be ready for another few miles. That sucker actually lasted nearly a month before a bearing journal wore completely out. Five dollars would have fixed it to begin with, but in 1963, that was four hours pay in a textile mill; a lot of money for me at the time. I got many burns on my hands and arms from the hot exhaust while playing roadside mechanic; mashed fingers, pinches, and blood-blisters were also common ailments. In those days, there wasn't anything I could not fix on an American car; everything from air filters to complete engine and transmission overhauls were within my shade-tree "expertise". I hated rebuilding auto transmissions most of all.
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Carolyn is working this morning and will go look at more apartments this afternoon; I have too much to do on the PC to be away today.
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I haven't seen Sammy since the few hours he stayed with us; I hope Ashley will bring him by. He is my little time machine. I understand his navel cord came off yesterday and he got his first real bath and he didn't care for it. I don't blame him; I don't take baths either unless company is coming.
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I've been doing some house cleaning on my Flickr account. Somehow I had built up more than 150 groups that I belonged to; now there are only 20 and they are ones I administer or are run by friends. Next I will get rid of many of my contacts; people who want me to look at and love their photos but never return the favor. I now have 226 contacts and friends, but I think I can safely pare them down to around 30. I'm no longer very active on Flickr, and not much more so on Megashot. I love looking at all the great photos, but with my limited typing abilities and recent health setbacks, plus the pressure of living and ungracefully getting old, I have lost much of my burning desire to do photography. The $2,000 worth of Pentax DSLR camera, lenses, and accessories are in a drawer and haven't seen the light of day in more than a month. I have many photos uploaded to Flickr but just do not care to make them public; same with Megashot.
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Today I ordered the Blu-Ray player and high-speed internet router from Amazon; I got both for $180 which is less than two months Directv service. I like Netflix pretty well, I was a long-time member but had to give it up when the Bush Depression hit a few years back; they were just beginning their streaming service then and had but a few movies to offer and little else plus it cost about twice as much as it now does. As this internet streaming gets more popular, prices will increase, in many cases dramatically. I foresee broadband prices steeply rising along with content costs. However, with cable and satellite companies losing customers as quickly as they are presently doing, streaming seems to be the next "big thing" in home entertainment. I think today's brand of 3-D TV is going to become a small niche player; too much expense, hassle, and poor quality.
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If you hung around to read all of this post, you either love me, fear me, or were so bored to begin with that my drivel seems Pulitzer worthy.
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Have a good final week in July!
Not been sleeping well; Xanax was a temporary cure last night.
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We are going to follow Tammy’s and Mike’s lead and drop our paid TV subscription in favor of Netflix. We don’t own an internet enabled TV, so I will have to get an internet capable Blu-ray player, a new 802.11n wireless router, an indoor antenna for local channels, and have our DSL speed/bandwidth increased. The latter should be less than $10/month and all the rest will cost less than three month’s satellite TV service. I will miss my Tennessee Lady Vol games, but I suppose I can adjourn to the local pub to watch the important ones. I read that U.T. is considering renewing their rivalry with Mark’s UConn Huskies, but I think the animosity between the head coaches will prevent it..
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I watched a pretty good movie via PC on Netflix yesterday; The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It is Swedish language but the subtitles are well done. The movie follows the book’s main points very well.
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Not only do we need to get our military out of the Middle-East, we need to pull it out of South Korea. Those folk have had 60 years to learn how to protect themselves and are perfectly capable financially to do so. China is no longer a threat, so they have only their northern cousins to worry about.
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South Korea is one of the only nations we have as a trading partner that imposes huge and multiple tariffs on American made products. However, the U.S. does not retaliate by placing import duties on South Korean products. It is time we clear our welfare rolls of sorry-ass South Korea and a few other international moochers who do not want to play fair.
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Have a good weekend, y’all!
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Courtney, our future daughter-in-law, finally got some welcome news about her cancer treatment. Her insurance company, Blue Cross of Georgia is still refusing to pay a dime for further diagnosis until she can come up with big bucks deductible up front. The good news is that one of the Atlanta cancer societies will fly her to Chicago for tests and then will fly Jeremy up there to be with her when they reveal the results. Jeremy will drive to our house on Aug. 10, drop off the dogs for us to babysit, and then fly from here to Chicago on the 11th. As far as I know, her treatments will be done in Atlanta.
Her insurance company’s actions are typical of the Republican way of healthcare in this country; only the monied get the care.
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Some jerk left a spam comment on my Blogspot blog trying to sell me fans (friends?) for my Facebook page. I suppose there are those with lives so miniscule that they will buy such garbage. I seldom visit FB and then only to check on Keegan.
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Carolyn took Ashley and Sammy for his second checkup; he is doing good and gaining weight, but the doc seems to think he should be gaining more than what he is. It damn sure ain’t because he don’t eat enough!
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Have a sweet day!
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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Congratulation so Lauren and Josh; they became the parents of Matilda, born yesterday morning. Also congratulations to first-time grandparents, Robin and Larry.
—- Krispy Kreme returns to Johnson City and the Tri-Cities. The local franchise is now in different hands and should prove to be a boon for the company, the cities, and my waistline. This means it will probably put my local mom & pop doughnut shop out of business; I only hope there are enough customers for both to remain viable. However, Dunkin’ Donuts still has the better coffee.
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Does the Tea Party splinter of the Republican Party not realize that most mainstream Republican representatives are as much against a balanced budget amendment as are Democrats? Do they not realize the party is making fun of them by paying them lip service and even allowing a vote in the House chamber? The Tea Party is symptomatic of people everywhere who cannot or do not wish to think for themselves. Being different is not necessarily being right. Even lemmings know when they have jumped off the cliff.
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Was The Exorcist the last great horror movie made? This modern stuff of naked teenagers and bloody slashers is boring to say the least and if you see one, you’ve seem them all; Freddy and Jason are seemingly never ending serial clones … and clowns. I still like the genre movies from the old days, even back to silent movies. Vincent Price made killer horror flicks, both literally and figuratively.
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Have a peace filled Wednesday, dear children.
A constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget is one of the dumbest ideas to ever be emitted from the asses of American politicians. Sure, in a perfect world it would be fine to have spending exactly match income, and it may work for families and some other people. But governments under external or internal duress (attacks by unfriendly nations or terror organizations; natural or man-made disasters) need leeway to go beyond artificial restraints. It is our insurance policy. If we had a balanced budget law, what would happen if a determined terrorist organization ruined the water supplies of 10 of our largest cities, say with nuclear devices that have effects which linger for generations? Where would we get money to deal with such a disaster? Tell the millions of citizens of these cities that they are on their own? What happens if another Great Depression hits; do we just ignore the impoverished and starving children in the name of a balanced budget? Perverted ideas of national righteousness by incompetents like those of the Tea Party fail to complete the O.B.F. principals of our sacred Constitution. They like the myopic parts: Of the People and By the People, but fail to consider the most important premise of For the People. Narrow thinking radicals like these ultra-Republicans are the same types who brought us the prohibition amendment to the Constitution which nearly broke the national treasury by spending billions of dollars to enforce the morals of the few against the wishes of the many and at the same time expecting the government to work with diminishing federal tax income from alcohol sales; it ended as a failure. So will a balanced budget amendment.
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Another gloomy looking day in East Tennessee yet it is supposed to be very hot. The weather is so screwed up that only the Tea Party can fix it.
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I am getting caught up on some business work I neglected while I was sickest; with the exception of yesterday when I was having an RA flareup, I feel I am gaining strength and stamina each day.
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I need to get out and make some photos.
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Have a Tuesday!
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The cool-down seems to be over; supposed to be back in the 90°F range today. According to the TV weatherman, we are still more than two inches below normal precipitation for the year. That only means we are probably normal over the entire area.
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Sammy came by for a nap yesterday. I began his training by whispering to him how delightful little girls can be. He never did nod his head as if he was learning my philosophy, but I think he smiled during one important part about anatomy.
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Dr. Guha has me on some powerful antibiotics; only three days in and my tongue has turned white and food tastes terrible. The pills do seem to be working as most of my cough and congestion has left and my temp is back to near normal. I was up and about for several hours yesterday and I got some business tax forms filled out and figured the employee time sheets. Carolyn got more bad news Saturday when a letter came from one of her longtime accounts saying they were terminating her services immediately. We are going to look at a few houses for rent this afternoon; we will have to get out of here before autumn; it seems. God bless the American economy!
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Thank you friend Jola for allowing me to use your photo. This was made Sunday in Warsaw’s Łazienki Park by D., Jola’s husband who is a very good photographer. Moments like this are special as nature’s small critters place their faith and fate in human hands.
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Have a good Worshday, my friends.
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Rainy, dreary, and dark in East Tennessee on this Saturday; however, Tammy sent along some of the sunshine from her garden. This beautiful collection of flowers and veggies should gladden any heart; I know it makes me fell better each time I see it. The orange peppers look particularly warm and sunny. Thank you, friend Tammy.
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The doc got a bit cheeky with me yesterday; at least her nurse did. Actually, she gave me huge shots of antibiotic in each side of my poor, long-suffering butt; had me broke down like a 12 gauge shotgun as I was bent over an exam table. Nurse told me that they would both hurt quite a bit as she injected the medicine and they would burn like crazy a little later on. She didn’t know how tough I am; neither one hurt a bit and only one gave me a slight burning feeling for a few moments. My pretty tush has been injected and kicked so many times that the skin is mostly scar tissue. Nohow, I got the shots plus a prescription for Levofloxacin antibiotic to treat bronchitis and pneumonia. My doc is a pretty young lady from India, a woman with an always quick smile, warm hands, and pleasing manner. She and her husband are part of the E.T.S.U. Physicians team.
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Have a sunny weekend, my friends.
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Not much happening on the home front. Carolyn is busy with the classifieds trying to find us a place to live; it is something she has to do most of by herself. I have all but abandoned my porch sitting so I won’t miss it too much when we move. I don’t mind living in an apartment or such, but I dearly hate the hassle of moving. Anyway, I hope to be settled in somewhere before winter.
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Politics heats up as the nation continues to fall apart. What the hell are these political wizards going to do when the infrastructure decays to dust? I suppose they figure it will take so long that they will be dead when it happens. Please read Albert Brooks’ novel 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America. Mr. Brooks deadpan comedy is transposed into something that could realistically happen in some of our lifetimes. Apparently, none of the politician budget negotiators have read the book.
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Have a Thursday, gentle friends.
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I wasn’t shocked when Saturday morning I read that former First Lady Betty Ford had died and I cannot honestly say I was saddened by her passing. All I felt was gratitude and humility that she had lived during my lifetime, bringing something to the White House and the nation that was sorely needed; the bare and bold honesty of a non-politician. Her age in years says she was a generation ahead of mine, but I feel she was more a part of my hippie-cultured world than anyone who graced the office of First Lady before or since. In the world of Washington’s secretive, cover-my-ass politics, her unabashed candidness was not only refreshing, but at times amusing as she stung the powers that be–including her husband, the President of the United States–with her bluntness concerning equality for women. Betty was quite a woman.
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Sammy came to visit Saturday and today Carolyn has taken him and his mom for his first doctor checkup. He is fine.
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I won’t be blogging much this week; I still have a medical issue to overcome. I have appointment with my doc on Friday and I feel she will take care of the problem. The new fluid pills seem to be doing the trick as far as as my breathing goes.
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Tammy sent me a photo of the beautiful fruits of her labor from her garden. Jola sent me a postcard from her Vienna vacation. I will post them both on the blog as soon as I am a bit better. I thank you my friends for your kindness.
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Thank you all for caring, my friends, and have a great Worshday and week.
Is there something wrong here? Wealthy people getting tax breaks for owning race horses, personal jet planes, yachts, exclusive country club memberships, and more fripperies, while old and disabled people are expected to take cuts in medicare and social security benefits to pay for the luxuries of the rich? The Republican representatives are not willing to compromise on this; they see any closing of tax code loopholes which benefit the rich as an added burden for them; I wish I could carry a rich man’s burden. Do average Americans not realize what is going on with these budget talks? Are they willing to be convinced that the huge debt burden is a product of the Obama administration when most of it was incurred by the Bush administration and the Republican controlled congress that rubber-stamped everything Bush wanted. Ongoing and unneeded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senseless bailout of Wall Street, a Medicare prescription plan for the elderly that was written by huge drug and insurance companies–both American and foreign, and corporate giveaways to companies in which Bush and vice-president Dick Cheney and members of Congress had monetary investments.
I’m beginning to think that the revolution should begin here and now, and Obama can be the leader by just saying “NO!” to Republican puppets and their corporate owners. Of course the economy here and in most of the rest of the world will collapse should Obama have the balls to finally be a leader, but it is on the verge of doing so anyway; any “compromise” is just passing the buck to the next marauding herd of politicians whom the public sees fit to elect.
No one in elected government wants to fix the problems because there are no easy solutions that will bring them instant personal glory … and votes.
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I’m off to see the wizard! No, I ain’t; I’m off to see the doctor. I must walk the Glory Road.
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Have a Thursday, my friends.
Sammy brought Ashley by yesterday; I can’t believe he is so tiny. He is beautiful; can’t wait to begin his training.
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How much is a human life worth? According to a Georgia insurance company, humans are worth no more than $800. A friend of ours needs to have P.E.T and M.R.I. done to see if or how much cancer has spread so they can do necessary surgery and chemo if needed. The insurance company won’t even fill out the necessary papers until she has the $800 deductible up front. A cancer charity said they would pay for the procedure if she didn’t have insurance; but they could not touch the case because the insurance company is in charge. This is madness.
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I feel physically better today than I have in two weeks; tomorrow is two medical appointments, one for an echo heart test. I’m slowly getting my appetite back thus I suppose the 10 lbs. of weight I lost will magically reappear. However good I feel, eye allergies are trying to make me regret opening my eyes this morning.
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Have a good Wednesday!
The weekend was exciting with the coming of Sammy, but pretty much boring the rest of the time. I don’t think I was even outside the entire three days. We planned to go out for awhile yesterday afternoon, but the only t-storm of the weekend spoiled that. Earlier we planned to go to the boat parade on Watauga Lake, but I don’t think I could have set there for the entire day and besides, Sammy had everyone worn out. Well, there were plenty of fireworks to listen to on Saturday night and on Sunday night. Jonesborough and Johnson City both had displays plus plain folks must have foregone normal firecrackers and roman candles for the big stuff; there were booms all around the area until late last evening. One day I must tell you about the time the Town of Jonesborough allowed two of my best friends (Fly & Cotton) to shoot the fireworks for them; many of the explosives ended up at Boone Lake for a midnight celebration which was grand compared to what the town had to settle for.
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Ashley is supposed to bring Sammy home from hospital (she wants us to call him Sam, but he will be Sammy to us). It will be my first time seeing him and I’ve remembered some of the old bawdy-house lullabies to get him started off right.
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I’ll be gone this afternoon to get the belated blood work done.
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Have a good one, my friends.
3:10pm--They just gave Ashley pain medication to ease the delivery; should be soon.
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12:00 noon--Ashley is now dilated 5cm; the docs first thought she would be in labor until tomorrow, but I think they have changed their minds.
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9:50am: Ashley is officially in labor! I am awaiting little Sammy's first Tweet!
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7:40 am--Breaking News: Carolyn is back at hospital with Ashley; I hope the baby can wait until tomorrow to be born however Ashley has dilated 2cm and is in much pain.
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Not a lot happening in my corner; Carolyn went to doc for her quarterly checkup and is doing very well except for some sugar problems.
She found out that she will be losing another two jobs, one definitely in September when one of the branch banks she cleans will stop operations, and another account building is changing over to one company to take care of all facility services nationwide. She has been with both places for more than ten years.
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Heart doc says my chest is carrying too much fluid and it is causing my breathing problems; hell, I already knew that. The fluid pills I take sometimes work and sometimes not, and when they don’t work correctly, I become dehydrated and feel worse than ever. Now he wants me to take a larger dosage but only every other day. The condition is commonly known as “dropsy”. Well anyway; I’ve lost 10 pounds of weight since May.
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Another Independence Day weekend for Americans, but for some reason I just don’t get into the spirit of the most important of all our holidays like I used to do. I’m watching my country flush itself into the money cesspool and not enough of us recognize the fact to force out government to be responsible for itself. Also, reading Albert Brooks’ new book adds to the helpless feelings.
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Jonesborough Days are this weekend; Tennessee’s oldest town celebrates the 4th. Johnson City will have its annual fireworks show, and the United States of America will be 235 years old. We are naked in the world.
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IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
