Rant #3,742: Connie-O

Yes, I had another busy day yesterday.

I did have that work meeting, and I had my regular work to do, plus I was on the phone several times trying to obtain services for my son.

Yes, it does get to you after awhile.

My son will be taking his first Civil Service test in September.

One of his counselors suggested that we look into it, and the job he will be taking a test for might be a good one for him.

So he will take the test, hopefully pass, and then we will see what happens.

All told, the ridiculously busy part of my day was pretty much over by 3 p.m., so I was able to breathe a little bit--

And I ate a nice, juicy apple to celebrate.

And yes, one of our great singers just left us.

Connie Francis was the biggest selling female singer until Madonna came around, and while I won't say I was a big fan of Francis, I did like some of her songs, especially "Where the Boys Are," which features one of the greatest vocals of the rock era.

She will be missed.

And to close out the week, I am going to post another chapter of my novel for you to engage with.

I haven't done this in a few weeks, so another chapter is due--

And in all honesty, I am too pooped to write another long entry, so this will do for now.

Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.

Read on!

32

After a few minutes of talking and getting to know one another, Abraham Lincoln Panim and Ariel were approached by Charley, who brought them their order.

“Here is the coffee and the cheese Danishes, just like you like them, Ariel, and here is something for Snuff,” Charley said as he bent down and gave the dog a biscuit. “Nothing is too good for my friend Ariel and her new boyfriend.”

“He is not my boyfriend!” Ariel exclaimed, but she did it with a smile on her face that Abraham Lincoln Panim noticed right away while he continued to primp himself.

Ariel reached out, found the bowl with the individual creams in it, opened one up, and poured it into her coffee. Abraham Lincoln Panim drank his coffee black as he took the first bite into his cheese Danish. It had absolutely no effect on him, and he even kind of liked what he was eating.

“I have to tell you, Ariel, that when I was younger, I was very allergic to cheese,” he said, as he bit into the Danish, “but now, I guess I am over it. I kind of like cheese!”

The two continued to talk, and one conversation dovetailed into another.

“I know that you teach at the school … tell me something about yourself.”

Abraham Lincoln Panim took his hands out of his hair, took a long drink of coffee, and said, “Well, there really isn’t that much to tell. I grew up right here, have really never been anywhere out of this area … I was pretty much home schooled by an older lady as my mother went to work as the principal of the school that I teach at.”

“What about your father? What happened to him?”

Abraham Lincoln Panim tensed up a bit. “I really don’t know what happened to him. It’s one of those things … I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“I understand, sorry I brought it up.”

“No, that’s all right. My mom and that older lady, Mrs. Stottle … I had a nice childhood,” he replied, kind of gritting his teeth when he said “a nice childhood.”

“I mean, it was as good as it could be … I would rather look forward, not back, to tell you the honest truth. The best is still ahead of me, I really feel that.”

“I am so sorry I brought up your father … I did not know that he wasn’t in the picture for you.”

“No, don’t worry about it. What happened happened. It’s not important.”

Ariel and Abraham Lincoln Panim continued to converse and get to know each other, but they, and everyone else in the diner, were interrupted by a commotion up front between Charley and someone who had just entered the restaurant.

“Charley, is Ariel here? Is she here with that rat face?” yelled the man who had just entered the diner.

“You have to keep your voice down. You are scaring everyone here,” Charley replied.

“I don’t care. Where is she?” he yelled, and as he looked out at the rows of tables and chairs and the diners in the restaurant, he saw way to the back, and skirted all the tables and chairs and people to get to his destination.

As he got closer, Abraham Lincoln Panim could see that it was Brandon Hartung.

“What are you two doing here?” snapped Brandon as he approached the table where Ariel and Abraham Lincoln Panim were sitting.

“We are having a nice chat.” Ariel said, “This has nothing to do with you.”

Abraham Lincoln Panim saw that all eyes of the diners were on what was happening between the three of them, and not solely on him anymore. Even Snuff stopped eating his biscuit, and started to snarl.

He stood up, and looked right at Brandon.

“Look, Ariel and I were just talking,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said. “Nothing more. This does not include you. This has nothing to do with you.

“It has everything to do with me. Ariel and I—“

“Look, I would suggest that you move on. All you are doing is causing a commotion here.”

“And what are you going to do if I don’t move on?” Brandon asked as he moved closer to Abraham Lincoln Panim.

People began to move from their tables as the two got closer to each other. Snuff tried to pull Ariel away from the table as his growling got louder.

“I am asking you for the last time to leave us alone,” Abraham Lincoln Panm said as Charley ran to the table.

“You two, you want to settle this, go outside and do it,” Charley said. “You don’t do it in my diner.”

“And what are you going to do if I don’t go away, rat-face boy?” Brandon asked as he cocked his right arm, the hand of which Abraham Lincoln Panim saw was covered with some type of crude glove, as if to prepare for a punch.

Almost instinctively, Abraham Lincoln Panim punched Brandon right into his jaw, knocking him on the floor. Brandon fell so hard that the covering came off of his right hand, to reveal that Brandon had a claw like a lobster instead of his hand.

Ariel bent down to Brandon as Snuff turned the attention of his snarling directly to Abraham Lincoln Panim.

“My glove, my glove!” Brandon screamed, and Snuff brought him the glove as he lay on the floor. He quickly put the glove on, still smarting from the punch.

“How could you do this? How could you cause such a scene?” Ariel screamed out to Abraham Lincoln Panim.

“I was just … I was just protecting myself. He was ready to throw a punch at me with his hand … his claw, whatever you want to call it.”

Charley put his hand on Abraham Lincoln Panim’s shoulder.

“Young man, I never want to see you again,” he said to Abraham Lincoln Panim. “The door is over there. Use it right now, and never come into this diner again!”

“But I was only—“

“Abraham Lincoln Panim, I never want to see you again,” Ariel shrieked as she continued to attend to the fallen Brandon. “You have embarrassed me, you are not my type of person. Get away from me right now.”

As Snuff continued to growl at Abraham Lincoln Panim, he weaved his way to the front of the diner as people stared at him, but not in the way he had been accustomed to.

He left the diner, walking home quickly through the park.

Rant #3,741: Slow Down

Yesterday was another one of those days.

My son and I met with the counselor from the Department of Employment, Suffolk County, and i have to say, it went pretty well.

He gave us some good ideas, some good things to think about, and for once, this guy seemed to be truly authentic.

He will be in touch with us, and I think we are on the right path now.

I hope ... .

We met with this counselor for like 90 minutes or two hours or so, and it took us like 40 minutes to get there, but I think it was well worth it.

I hope ... .

Now for the rest of the day.

I woke up at 7 a.m., and little did I know what was ahead of me.

I checked my email after showering and getting dressed, and I saw that at nearly 10 p.m. on Tuesday evening, I was sent a story to write up.

So right after I ate breakfast, I rushed to complete this story, because I knew I had a busy morning later on with my son.

I finished it, my son and I went to the counselor, and we arrived home at about 2 p.m.

I ate a quick lunch, and then, I saw I had a story to edit, and around 3 p.m., I finished that story.

I thought I would have time to do what the counselor suggested for my son, but lo and behold, I was hit by the proverbial bus, or a ton of bricks, or whatever you want to call it.

My work sent me something to write up, a huge thing that I knew would wipe out the rest of the afternoon--

Preventing me from doing what I wanted and needed to do and forcinh me to do exactly what i didn't want to do--

And it took me around a solid three hours to complete it.

I will have to do what I wanted and needed to do for my son sometime today--

Because I supposedly have a work meeting this morning, and you might remember the last work meeting I had, which I found out was canceled several minutes after I rushed to participate in it while in the library waiting for the late-in-arriving counselor to continue my son's assessment.

After I finished this 1,800-word horror show on Wednesday's early evening, I was talking to my wife about our situation, and I am going to let you in on some of the things we spoke about, much of which you already know.

My wife and I are both "retired," or at least the federal and state governments consider us to be so.

I "retired" against my will, she "retired" because she had had enough, working in a place which was kind of forcing her out.

My unemployment time started right before the pandemic started, and continued through almost the entirety of 2020, probably the absolute worst time in the world's history to be out of work and looking for a job, especially while in my early 60s.

After all that heartache, I was very, very lucky to get this remote editing/writing job as my unemployment benefits were about to run out. 

My wife went back to work on a part-time basis because 1) she was bored, and 2) she wanted to have some more money in her pocketbook.

In actuality, we both need to work, because retiring at the ages we did provided us with Social Security payments that don't pay for very much in this post-pandemic economic environment we are in.

Neither one of us received pensions for our years of work, but we did have 401ks, so with whatever other money we had--the sale of the house did not produce very much for us--we are far from indigent, but we want to enjoy our "retirement" without having to worry about finances--

Which we simply cannot do.

And what is "retirement?"

My wife and I have no clue, because we will probably be working for the rest of our lives.

Heck, all during the period when I tore my quad twice, when I couldn't get out of the bed, I continued to work.

If I didn't tell my work about my physical problems, they would have never known that I was operating on one leg for like six months!

In fact, when we go on vacation--we haven't been on one in a few years--I bring my laptop with me and I find the time to do my daily work, so I don't even have a break then.

No work, no pay, so even when we went on a cruise, i had to find the time to work.

And i have continued to work through my current medical concerns, without stopping.

My wife has had her own physical problems, but she also pushes on, and as you read this, she is at work at her part-time job.

And all through this, we are helping my son to look for work, and that, itself, has become something of a full-time job.

What is "retirement?"

My wife and I don't believe we will ever truly know.

And while I am not a jealous person, I am becoming increasingly envious of some of my peers, who are actually retired and wake up every day saying to themselves--

"What do I want to do today?"

They are retired.

My wife and I are not.

Rant #3,740: Time Won't Let Me

As usual, when I do something correctly, somehow, it just doesn't come out the way it is supposed to be.

I took my son to the local library for the latest part of his assessment, and the woman doing it was not there.

I told my son that maybe the woman was a little late, and that he should sit tight and wait for her while I set up my laptop computer for my own meeting for work.

I found a secluded spot, set the computer up, and lo and behold, i could not get on the Internet.

I tried everything, but to no avail.

I brought my phone with me, connected pretty quickly, but I could not hear a word that was being said.

So I figured I might get a better connection if I went to my car, and as I sped past my son, I saw that the woman still was not there--

And I told him to sit tight, and i would go into the car and find out what was going on.

I got to the car, and the first thing I did was to get back into my work meeting.

I did that pretty easily, and I could hear things loud and clear.

"The meeting was canceled," a voice told me.

I wondered why no one told me this beforehand so I wouldn't have had to rush and bring all this computer stuff with me--

And I later discovered that I did get sent an email, but a few minutes after the meeting was to be held.

So much for promptness!

But even with the cancelation, I still had to find out what was doing with today's portion of the assessment.

I called the woman from my car and left a message.

I went back to the library, and my son was sitting with the woman, who told me that she was a few minutes late.

Couldn't she have called or texted me to let me know about this?

Now that that was all set, I had some time to kill while the assessment was being done, so I figured I would use the library's computer to while away the time.

I put in my library code and password, but it would not take my password--

The same password I used last week to get on the computer when I first got my library card.

I went up to the help desk, and I told the woman my problem.

I told her my password, and she said that was impossible, because the system only takes numeric passwords.

I then told her that the system took my password last week, one which included both numbers and letters.

Rather than argue, we agreed I needed a new numeric password, I got it, and I was able to spend some time on the computer.

Why is everything torture?

Why is everything so difficult to do?

I have no idea, none at all.

But I seem to be in the middle of this situation.

I know nothing is easy, but things that should be simple always seem to end up convoluted.

We agree to a time to meet, you be there, and let me know if you are going to be late.

And if something is canceled, please let me know as this fact arises, not minutes afterward.

And as far as passwords, I remember when "Password" was a great TV game show.

I know my passwords, so don't tell me otherwise.

I guess "Torture" has become my new middle name.

This cannot possibly be what retirement is ...

On to the next assessment!

Rant #3,739: Many Rivers To Cross

To continue with what I was telling you yesterday, on Sunday, my son and I will be going to UBS Arena in Elmont, Long Island, to see TNA Wrestling's "Slammiversary" event live and in-person.

TNA--stands for "Total Non-Stop Action"--is sort of a poor stepchild to WWE wrestling, and over the past couple if months, the two pro wrestling groups have forged some type agreement, with wrestlers from both groups showing up on the others' programming.

I kind of like TNA wrestling, because it is more intimate and on a more personal scale than WWE is.

It reminds me of how it used to be, before wrestling became a worldwide phenomenon.

The UBS Arena is a beautiful facility, once you get inside 

But it is a pain to get to by car, and once you get there and park your car, you have to take a shuttle to the actual facilty--but you aren't quite there yet.

When we went to see a WWE show there right after it opened a few years back, the shuttle dropped us off at the side of the building, and we still had to walk halfway around the facility to get to the entrance.

And talking about the parking--

It cost me $50 plus tax, but you really don't have a choice, as there really isn't anywhere else you can park.

Yes, I would much rather go to Nassau Coliseum or Madison Square Garden to see pro wrestling.

Yes, the whole thing is annoying, but my son wanted to go, hoping to see other friends who are going to be there.

We bought the cheapest tickets we could--$30 each, and after other charges added on, it is like a "buy three, get two tickets" situation, so the other charges equal out to buying another ticket, but it amounts to only getting a "seat" for no one.

My son bought the tickets, so it is my job to spring for everything else; not just parking, but also food, T-shirt, etc.

Yes, I am getting too old for all of this, but it should be as much fun as it is annoying.

We could watch this on pay-per-view, but even that is ridiculously priced, so we will actually be there.

There are some very good athletes in TNA, and while it isn't WWE, it is sort of "the little train that could," and they always put on a good show, so it should be fun.

But after the busy week I will have had by Sunday, I might as well add another brick to the load with something that is fun.

I dread going to the UBS Arena, but I will be OK once I am there ...

And once we get home.

But let's get through the important stuff that continues today with the next part of my son's assessment, and we will cross that other bridge when we come to it--

By shuttle, of course.

Rant #3,738:1, 2, 3 and I Fell

Today is the beginning of a busy week for myself and my family.

My wife has an important doctor's appointment to go to today, and then tomorrow, my son has another part of his assessment--and at the same time, I have another work meeting that I have to attend.

How can i be in two places at once? 

My son has to do the assessment with just his counselor, without my presence.

And since it is taking place in the local library, I will bring my laptop with me, and participate in the meeting there.

I bought cheap headphones at the Dollar Store last week, so while I cannot get it hooked up via Bluetooth, I can plug it into the computer, so I will find a secluded spot in the library, and get this done.

On Wednesday, the guy from the New York State Department of Labor finally got in contact with us, so we have a meeting with him on that morning at the office in Patchogue, which is a good hike for us, but we will be there.

Let's see what he has to say about his version of an assessment.

On Thursday, I have to take my son back and forth to work, and I also have another work meeting in the morning.

Friday, I get a break ... sort of.

We have to do our food shopping on that day, and in the early evening, I will take my son to his weekly basketball scrimmage.

Then comes the weekend--

I will tell you about that later in the week.

And I have to weave my work responsibilities in and out of all of this.

It is good to be busy, but this is a bit much.

Would I rather have absolutely nothing to do?

No, being busy fills up plenty of time, and it keeps me on my toes, figuratively and literally.

But I just know other things are going to face me during the week--

And I still don't think that this is what retirement actually is.

It just can't be.

And then we have the weekend ...

I won't get into that now, but just let's say that I will have plenty to tell you about it later in the week, particularly about Sunday.

And you can take me to the mat on that.

 1, 2, 3 ... .

Rant #3,737: Lucky Number

We have reached 3,737 posts, and while I have no idea if that number is significant in any way, 3-7-3-7 is a nice number.

I looked the number up, and an artificial intelligence description came up:

"Angel number 3737 signifies that you are on the right path, and your creative energy is being utilized effectively.

It suggests that you are attracting your desires, particularly in partnerships and romance, and that you should pay attention to your thoughts. 

This number also indicates that good luck is coming your way and that you should embrace your independence and self-love."

Well, I sure hope thst good luck is coming my way.

I sure have had plenty enough of bad luck, so maybe my time is coming--

And I want that good luck to transfer over to my son, who has had plenty of bad luck as he searches for a job.

The Department of Labor in Suffolk County called us yesterday morning--while i was participating in a meeting for work--and yet someone else was trying to clear things up.

Seems to me to be a waste of time and resources to have yet another person hear my story, but I told this guy everything, and he said he would take care if it.

About an hour later, the person I spoke to the other day called me back, and you know what? The fellow had no clue why he was told to call me!

So once again, I had to reiterate that he said my son needed a different type of assessment than the one he is getting, and that he told me he would set up a meeting for next week, but never did.

He said to me, "Oh ... I have to run a seminar now ... just send me via email the days you are free, and I will get to it."

I did just that, and at this writing, I am still waiting to hear from him.

Like I said in a previous Rant, I am giving this fellow enough rope to hang himself, and then i will have plenty to say.

Incompetence, anyone?

And did I also mention that I was given the incorrect Microsoft Teams address by my work for the meeting I was participating in?

It forced me to check on about 10 or 15 minutes late, but what's a poor boy to do?

Yes, if 3-7-3-7 portends luck, I certainly am in need of something P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E, because seemingly everything I do that is C-O-R-R-E-C-T comes out W-R-O-N-G.

And no, I have not looked up what 3-7-3-8 means.

Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.

3-7-3-7 ...

3-7-3-8 ...

- 30 -

Rant #3,736: "Super Bad"

Boy, that title could be attached to what is happening in New York City with its mayoral shenanigans, or it could collectively describe what my son has gone through to get another job.

But today, on a much lighter note, "Super Bad" is actually the title of a 1973 compilation of then-current soul songs that was released on K-Tel Records and pushed through endless TV commercials 

Remember K-Tel Records?

Their albums, generally from the early 1970s through the early to mid-1980s, were compendiums of current hits of the day, and they sold millions of millions of copies during their heyday in the early to mid-1970s, or during my high school years.

On these albums, you might get Elton John and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but you would also get the Sylvers, Reunion and a myriad of one-hit and two-hit wonders like Paper Lace and Blue Swede.

Not only that, but the albums were chock full of songs--20 to 24 songs per release--so to fit all those songs on each side, you would often get abbreviated tunes, much less time than the actual single or album cut actually featured.

You would often get real hitmakers--like James Brown and Joe Tex--mixed in with no-hit, at least in the U S., artists like Blue Mink and Cliff Richard.

I found out some time ago that, for instance, for K-Tel to get the likes of Elton John on one of their compilation LPs, they had to agree to take some lesser artists, like Cliff Richard, and these records were often the place where an artist like Richard--who was huge in Europe and throughout the rest of the world--were first heard by American listeners.

K-Tel was also involved in non-recording projects, such as Ronco, the home of Ron Popeil and his numerous kitchen gadgets and even more numerous commercials toting these products, like "Pocket Fisherman" and the like.

K-Tel was actually a Canadian company, and through various bankruptcies and other legal proceedings, I don't believe they exist anymore, at least as "K-Tel."

I guess I was looking for something different to digitize last week, which was a somewhat slow week for me due to Independence Day coming on a Friday this year, and I happened upon these LPs, of which I have seven, plus one or two others somehow linked up with the K-Tel name but not actually K-Tel records proper.

And yes, one of them was the aforementioned "Super Bad," an LP that features full and truncated versions of songs by everyone from Isaac Hayes to Freda Payne to Millie Jackson.

And "Super Bad" it is.

I don't know where I got this record, but the first side is pretty beat up but listenable--

But the second side is beat up and unlistenable, with more scratches than someone with poison ivy.

Happily, I have all the songs elsewhere from the second side, so I just copied them and moved them to the "Super Bad" file folder, ready for me to listen to them in the car.

I have digitized a couple of these other K-Tel LPs that I have in my collection--with titles including "20 Power Hits " and "Out of Sight"--and some of the albums play well, while others are--

"Super Bad."

But they are all a lot of fun, and 50 years after the fact, they are nice to rediscover again.

And I will bet that if you are around my age, and collected records during the 1970s, you, yourself, probably have at least one K-Tel album in your collection.

They are fun records featuring fun music from a different time and place ...

And it is nice going into the "Wayback Machine" every once in a while to redisover these albums and the music that they feature.

"The Night Chicago Died" anybody?