Rant #2,476: Welcome Back

It is good to be back at the helm of the Ranting and Raving Blog.

However, it was kind of nice to be away from it for a few days during the Thanksgiving holiday break.

Thanksgiving was nice, as it always is. It is the best holiday of the year because the only gift you need to bring with you when you attend this traditional meal is yourself.

This year, we attended the festivities at my brother-in-law's house, and we had a nice time. We ate, had plenty of fun with good company, and got home relatively early.

It was a good day to get away from the same old, same old.

And yes, prior to driving out for the feast, I did what I always do, which is to watch Laurel and Hardy in "March of the Wooden Soldiers" on TV. What I do each year is that I find the best version of the movie I can on YouTube--which means in black and white--cast it to the TV, watch it from beginning to end, and then turn on WPIX Channel 11, which annually runs it, this year in black and white, and then pretty much watch it again to its conclusion.

So I got my double dose of MOTWS like I always do, and I laughed as hard as I did when watching it as a kid.

And no, we did not do any shopping on Thanksgiving, unlike millions of others who ate and ran, right to their local malls and shopped 'til the turkey crowed, or maybe repeated on them. That is my wish for these airheads.

Why they could not wait until Black Friday to do their shopping is beyond my comprehension, but on Friday, I did what I always do, which is do some shopping at my local record store. To get in early, you had to pay a $5 donation, which is given to animal-related organizations, and a portion of the day's proceeds is given to those same organizations, so it makes you feel good to do some shopping on Black Friday Record Store Day.

I have to thank my wonderful son for allowing me to participate. With such bad tidings on my side this year, his generosity allowed me to do some shopping and add some really nice records to my collection. And he allowed me to put the records right in my collection now, not when Hanukkah comes later this month, so it made it even more special.

Saturday was my father's 88th birthday. He has had some ups and downs lately with his health, but he was in very good spirits on his birthday, as he always is, as shown in the photo above, which was taken probably about 50 years or so ago.

My sister and I took him out to one of his favorite restaurants--a local diner--and he had his birthday dinner with his family and three of his grandchildren. He was as happy as could be, and with everything going on with him lately, it not only gave us time to celebrate, it allowed him to relax, too, in the company of his loved ones.

Sunday was not one of the great days of my life. It was dreary and horrid outside--it seemed to rain or sleet or hail the entire day--and on top of that, there was a problem in our area with water pressure, as I think a water main broke, so for a few hours, even if you wanted to get out of the house, you couldn't drive very far, because all the roads around us were either blocked off as the problem was worked on or cars were bumper to bumper everywhere.

Me, I couldn't drive anywhere anyway, because for one of the few times in my recent driving history, I had to contend with a flat tire.

I noticed it early on Sunday morning, and skirting all the hubbub of later in the day, I was able to get my car to a local car repair place that was open on Sunday, and after about five or six hours, my car was done. I gifted myself with a new tire for my agita.

Anyway, that was the weekend, and now I go back to business, typing this Rant out and then diving head first into the job openings, which probably won't lead me anywhere, but at least I know that I am doing my due diligence and I am trying to do the right thing.

And yes, by the way, Black Friday was not just a day to shop, it was a day to say thanks, thanks to the technician at the New York State Department of Labor who called me during lunch that day to tell me that he had finally fixed my problem, and that I could finally get what I need to proceed, which is the ability to file for unemployment for that week and probably weeks to come.

It made me feel better about myself, my situation, and to tell you the truth, about humanity when he told me that everything was copacetic. I have to tell you, I was about one hour away from going over to my elected officials to complain about what I was going through, and getting a lawyer to handle my case.

Happily, I did not have to do that, and this week, after nearly two months, I will be receiving my first unemployment money,, making it easier for me to exist during this terrible period in my life.

So yes, as I said last Wednesday, I have reason to give thanks, even during this horrible time.

Now I can finally breathe again.