Rant #2,803: A Brand New Me

Happy New Year’s Eve Day!
 
We have finally, nearly, reached the end of this very horrid year.
 
Just a few more hours to go and POOF!, it is gone, thank goodness.
 
And we are really going out on a bang this year, with so many people supposedly “sick,” and no supposeds on this, people are waiting on line like cattle being led to slaughter to get tested.
 
One day, we will look back on all of this for the ridiculousness it was, but right now, we are living in the present tense, and it really is an incredible thing to behold that we have nearly completely, and needlessly, destroyed our civilization in just two short years.
 
Anyway, even with these major distractions, we are looking forward to the ball drop so we can get out of this year, and that mindset, at least, hasn’t changed and hopefully never will.
 
Here is what I wrote about New Year’s Eve, in edited form, from Rant #1,581, on December 31, 2015:
 
“It is New Year’s Eve morning now, and the current year is down to just a few hours.
 
I am hoping that the new year is a great year, as I always do for the new year coming up.
 
The new year is shaping up to be a great year for my family, and I hope that it is for you and your loved ones, too.
 
I guess that the past year was a decent year, not one of the most memorable ones in my life, but I have had worse years.
 
For the new year, I am simply wishing the best for all of us.
 
Finally, the time will come, the ball will drop, and we will move on to a new year.
 
Again, I wish everyone the best year possible.”
 
Well, things have not changed much from six years ago to now, at least in my wishes for a great new year for all.
 
But who could have thought six years ago that we would be the mess that we are in now?
 
Everyone—and I do mean everyone—has been greatly impacted by the presence of this lousy virus, some more than others, but it has affected everything we say, do and believe in.
 
It has put us against others due to beliefs and the way we act, and it has done more harm than just infecting our bodies with sickness.
 
It has poisoned many of our minds, made many of us unreasonable, and has stifled our growth, personally as human beings and in total as a civilization.
 
“The land of the free and the hone of the brave” still exists, but that axiom has been dented, perhaps not beyond repair, but it certainly needs to go into the shop for a look over.
 
So as we go into the new year, stop with those idiotic resolutions that you are going to lose weight during the new 365 days.
 
It is better to resolve that we will be better people, better to ourselves and better to others around us.
 
I know that that will be difficult to do, in particular when our leaders will continue their stupidity about how to handle what we are going through, and constantly sending us mixed messages in the process.
 
But we have brains in our heads for a reason, so let’s start using what God gave us the right way.
 
Become a critical thinker, just don’t take things at face value, and think out your game plan rather than follow what you are told in a robotic fashion.
 
Do what you believe you need to do for the benefit of yourself and yoiur family, not to the benefit of those talking out of two sides of their mouths on a constant basis.
 
That is the only way that “The land of the free and the how of the brave” will continue to have any meaning whatsoever.
 
So as the new year dawns, it brings to us a lot of hope, but we all have a lot of work to do to make it a year that is different from 2020 and 2021.
 
2022 can be a great year, but we all have a lot on our plate to make it the great year that it can be.

As for me, barring anything unforeseen, 2022 is shaping up as an interesting year, if nothing beyond that.

I will turn 65 years of age on April 28, so I will finally be on Medicare and be able to reap all the benefits of being "an older American," whatever that means.

My wife and son will continue with their lives, as will my mom, who will turn the ripe young age of 91 in March.

As for the blog, we have three anniversaries coming up in 2022: its bar mitzvah 13th year of existence in early May; its 2,900the post in the June-July time frame; and its 3,000th post around this time next year.

All pretty neat, wouldn't you say?
 
I wish for everyone the best New Year possible, and I will speak to you again on Monday for the first Ranting and Raving Blog post of the new year.
 
Have a great one, and have a great weekend. 

Rant #2,802: Don't You (Forget About Me)

The really big holiday is coming up tomorrow, and I am sure that everybody is looking forward to it, but for all the wrong reasons.
 
Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and once again this year, we are looking at this occasion as the end of the year, but really, the end of another year that really was pretty horrid.
 
New Year’s Eve used to be such a joyous holiday—with parties, watching the ball drop, the works—but now, it just closes the book on another year that we were ensnared in the pandemic.
 
But what about today, the day before New Year’s Eve, the often forgotten December 30?
 
What can we rejoice about today?
 
Not much.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the information provided by the website Time and Date.com (https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/) and I found that today is a day to celebrate—
 
“Bicarbonate of Soda Day.”
 
Yes, today, December 30, celebrates those fizzy concoctions that we have used for decades as a remedy for what ails us, including this year, the pandemic, I presume.
 
According to the site, “the holiday recognizes the multi-purpose chemical compound also known as baking soda.”
 
Further, “While the origins of this holiday are unknown, we can all safely assume that whoever created this holiday, not only wanted to give a shout out to one of the most used chemical compounds in the history of mankind, but also wanted to encourage people to use it more and more in their daily lives.”
 
And how does one celebrate such a noble holiday?
 
According to the site, “Learn about the history of the manufacturing and use of baking soda … learn what other things you can use baking soda for” … and finally, “Build a baking soda and vinegar volcano at home.”
 
Yep, that would go over well with my wife as she cleans our house.
 
And while you are building your volcano, did you know that bicarbonate of soda. or baking soda, “is a very versatile household product? Use it to deodorize your fridge, to clean tea- and coffee-stained cups and teapots, and clean household surfaces.”
 
I don’t know, I think I would rather have a regular soda—like a Coke—than a bicarbonate of soda any day of the week, including on December 30.
 
So I am sorry to say that since “Bicarbonate of Soda Day” is the only holiday that I can find for December 30, the date will always pale in comparison to December 31 as a day to be reckoned with.
 
In fact, you would think that “Bicarbonate of Soda Day” would actually be after New Year’s Day, because you might need to take the stuff if you over-indulge a bit as you welcome in the new year, but I guess the creators of this holiday didn’t want their product linked to a hangover or stomach ache remedy, so they went with the day before the big one as their holiday.
 
What else happened on this forlorn, nearly forgotten stepping stone day to the big holiday?
 
Well, if you were born on December 30, you would probably think that it was the most important day on the calendar.
 
Your parents probably figured that they barely squeezed you in as a tax write-off for the year you were born, but whatever the case, happy birthday to people born today—
 
And that includes baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax basketballer LeBron James, and golfer Tiger Woods…
 
And it was also the birthday of two former Monkees, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith, both of whom have left us in recent years.
 
So people born on December 30 have kind of a double celebration right now, because they have their birthday cake today, and then tomorrow, they celebrate the new year.
 
I guess they can get the two celebrations out of the way, one after the other, getting a better bang for their buck by killing two birds with one stone.
 
And as far as historical events, did you know that today, back in 1968, was the day that Frank Sinatra first recorded the Paul Anka song “My Way?”
 
I just wish that we could all do it “My Way” on December 30, 2021, but there are forces stopping us from doing that that are way beyond our control right now.
 
So don’t relegate December 30 to the scrap heap.
 
Sure, it might not have the significance of the next day on the calendar, but it is an important day in our society, more so for some people than others …
 
But without December 30, you can’t get to December 31, so let’s get through today, and then we can happily look forward to the ball dropping on New Year’s Eve on December 31 and put another wretched year behind us as we fall into January 1, 2022, and begin what we all hope is a much better year.
 
Happy December 30 everyone!

Rant #2,801: Be Fair

Be fair.
 
Sorry, life is not fair now.
 
I know somebody who waited upwards of six hours for a COVID test yesterday.
 
She had been looking for days to be tested, finally found a testing site that wasn’t full of people signed up for the test, and she put her name on the list …
 
Only to wait, wait and wait some more.
 
She did not get back to me that she finally got her test after six hours of waiting, and for all I know, she is still waiting.
 
Be fair.
 
No, life is not fair, when a professional sports team, the Brooklyn Nets, finally bow down to the imbecilic wishes of one of their players who has not been inoculated, Kyrie Irving, and added him to their roster in the midst of a period where just about every team in the NBA has a cauldron of players out with the virus.
 
The trouble is, he still can’t play in New York City—which means he can’t play in home games at Barclsys Center nor road games at Madison Square Garden--because he has not gotten his shots, and even his presence in these arenas goes against city rules against those who have not received their shots even being in these arenas.
 
The problem is that that rule is skirted by another rule stating that those without shots can actually play in these arenas if they are part of a visiting team, because the rules of the city where they came from trumps the rules of the city they visit.
 
Oh, and better yet, once Irving was added to the roster, he was out based on COVID protocols because …
 
He was infected with the virus.
 
Be fair.
 
New York City has become the center of the coronavirus once again, or at least the variant form of the virus.
 
However, New Year’s Eve in Times Square continues to be a go, although restrictions have been put in place to try to ensure safety over stupidity.
 
However, you just know that stupidity triumphs here, because to even have a restricted celebration in a city where people are standing on lines for hours at a time waiting to be tested shows sheer ignorance.
 
But you also have a mayor who wants his two terms in that position to go out with a blaze of glory—right after the celebration, he goes back to being a private citizen—so you just know that stupidity once again triumphs over science and reality when we are tailkng about how elected officials are handling this virus.
 
Be fair.
 
While we are being ravaged by paranoia created by our elected officials related to the omnicom variant, we are continuing to push aside the fact that millions of our nation’s service members continue to protect our country, but our country is not protecting them—
 
Meaning that millions upon millions of military families do not have food to put on their tables as we move from 2021 to 2022.
 
Due to a number of factors—including the existence of the virus and what it has done to the employment and health of that community—many of these families, with at least one family member away protecting us from harm—doesn’t have the means to eat, or at least eat regularly.
 
I have covered this subject, written about it extensively, and talked to people who are trying to make sure that none of these families go hungry, but it is a monumental task that shows no end in sight.
 
Be fair.
 
No, there is no fairness around right now.
 
The over-emphasis on this virus—which exists but which we, as a civilization, have made much worse, in particular with this variant, than it ever could actually be, has thrown the world into a tizzy that also shows no signs of ebbing.
 
Politicians have used it to their advantage to further their own personal agendas, so-called experts have as good a read on this thing as your average Joe does, and we are being made hysterical right now, where even a sudden cough or sneeze translates to the need for a test to make sure that one does not have the virus.
 
This is simply absolute stupidity, which is being exacerbated by the fact that we simply don’t have enough test kits, or personnel to administer them, to go around to everyone standing on the lines, probably 90 percent of whom really don’t need to be tested to begin with.
 
Use common sense. Stay home if you don’t feel well. Don’t stand on lines, because if you do have the virus—or the flu, or the common cold—you are infecting others by yoiur presence.
 
Unless it gets very bad for you, wait the thing out until it subsides into nothing, which should take just a few days.
 
Leave the tests for those who really and absolutely need them.
 
Look, what I just said is not going to happen, because we are in a panic mode right now, a mode that we have been put into by our legislators and others, who have no idea what they are doing or have done, to the populace that they are supposed to be serving.
 
Use your brain. That is why you have one in your head.
 
Unfortunately, the act of thinking has seemingly been abandoned by the populace now, in a situation where it actually should be ramped up.
 
And in conclusion …
 
Be fair.

Rant #2,800: Oh How Happy

Today, right after Christmas and right before New Year’s Day, we have reached another milestone at the Ranting and Raving Blog.
 
Happy post number 2,800!
 
On Monday, May 4, 2009, I finally decided to do something about the “itch” I was having to write something more than what I was being paid to do at my workplace.
 
Yes, social media probably spurred it on, because reading what was being posted on Facebook, I decided that I wanted to take my own opinions with me, but at another level, and so the original Ranting and Raving Blog was created.
 
Several years later, the blog was hacked, and I had to create a new replacement, which I did, and that is why this second Ranting and Raving Blog came about.
 
I have written on so many different subjects here, everything from politics to the coronavirus, and certainly much lighter subjects, like my record collection, and it has all been fun to do.
 
I know that this blog doesn’t draw thousands of readers each weekday, and you know what? I like it like that.
 
With fewer readers, the blog has become more personal, more “me talking to you” rather than “me talking to a group,” and that is the way I like it.
 
The blog draws readers right to this site, but since I put it up on Facebook, I know that dozens of people are reading what I have to say each and every weekday, so I don’t really need thousands of people coming here; what I have is enough for me.
 
So without further ado, here are the very first posts that I made on this blog.
 
Sure, the blog now totals even more than 2,800 separate posts, but this is the round number of entries that there have been during the past 12-plus years, so we will leave it at that.
 
Here is the first post on the Ranting and Raving Blog from May 4, 2009:
 
Welcome to the Ranting and Raving Blog
“I have created this blog because I need an outlet to vent my frustrations with everything in this crazy world we live in.
 
Please feel free to reply to my vents and add your observations, even if they run counter to mine.”
 
And here is official post number one on the blog:
 
Rant #1: Today’s Music

I was born in 1957, right in the middle of the first era of rock and roll. We are talking about Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee, Chuck Berry, and all the rest.
 
Fast forward. I just turned 52. My wife and I are raising a son in the current era of rock and roll (if that is what you want to call it). This era's musical heroes: 50 Cent, T.I., Coldplay, Pink ...
 
Get the picture? I cannot stomach today's music, if that is what you want to call it. There are no melodies, nothing to sing along to, and well, to me, the music is crap (get it c-rap=crap).
 
Yes, I guess I am an old fuddy duddy, but how can you compare the trash around today with what we heard when we were kids?
 
My son listens to all different types of music, but like most kids today, he leans toward what is currently popular, meaning rap and what I like to call yelling and screaming music. These "artists" complain about everything under the sun, but do they really know what suffering is?
 
Yes, I know there were probably similar complaints when Elvis became popular, and when the Beatles came on the scene. Certainly, our parents turned their noses at the Rolling Stones and any music with drug references.
 
But c'mon--you could chide those artists' appearance, but could you really argue that their music was unlistenable?
 
I know what my son is listening to, but it is very hard to police. He is 13, and this is what kids are listening to. I can't really argue with him, because he also listens to the aforementioned Beatles, and a lot of 1960s and 1970s artists.
 
And, by the way, while I am ranting, wasn't it more fun--and more artistic--to sing about the "act" rather than say it right out loud, and do it so vulgarly?
 
Everyone knows what the songs are about, and have been about for generations. But to come out and say it--well, that is just not very artistic, is it?
 
I blame both the artists and record companies for allowing this trash to rear its ugly head, but we as a society have to take the blame too, because we allow this garbage into our homes.
 
Believe me, I am not for standing over artists, telling them what to say, and threatening lawsuits and other actions. It is just that the artists of other generations, with less artistic freedom, got their point across in a much more elevated fashion.
 
Is there any music out there today, being created by younger artists, that is listenable?
 
(By the way, I don't want to make this another music blog, this is just a subject that I would like to address here--other subjects will follow, I promise!)”
 
So there you have it.
 
What does the future hold for the blog?
 
I don’t know, but since 2022 is its “bar mitzvah” year, I am sure whatever happens, it will continue to be an interesting journey, and I hope you continue to go with me as the Ranting and Raving Blog gets closer to that anniversary date and goes full speed ahead to Rant numbers 2,900 and 3,000.
 
Thanks for taking that journey with me!