Rant #3,901: Shopping A-Z

As prices shoot up due to the war we are in in the Middle East, shopping has become a real pain in the butt.

For me, this is normally a happy time to do food shopping ...

Because the pre-Passover shopping period is upon us.

During Passover, observant Jews cannot eat regular bread, we have to eat matzoh, and we are prohibited from eating any products that are not Kosher for Passover.

No bacon, no pork, none of that stuff.

So right now, we are right in the middle of the Passover shopping period, leading up to the eight-day celebration that begins on, of all days ...

April 1, April Fools Day, at sunset.

The reason this year isn't as happy a shopping period as other years is because prices are sky high, and I mean, sky high for Passover products too.

Matzoh is ridiculous.

A box of matzoh, which used to cost about $3, is now $4, $5, $6 or even more--and that goes for the Kosher for Passover variations like egg matzoh, too.

All other products have gone sky high, too, so I am not finding it that much fun to do this shopping this year.

That does not mean that I won't keep Kosher for Passover.

In spite of the annual "Matzoh Stomach" malady--where eating matzoh makes you feel like you have a perpetual bowling ball in your stomach--I will eat matzoh like it is going out of style this holiday, as I always do.

Availability is another thing.

Gone are the days that you needed to go to one supermarket to get all of your Passover goods.

So far, I have had to go to two and three stores to find what I want--whether it be matzoh, UBet chocolate syrup or macaroons, and honestly, some stores have absolutely nothing--and I mean absolutely nothing--for Passover this year.

And some stores perpetually have nothing.

I went to one local store last year to look for gefilte fish.

I asked a worker in this particular store about it, and she replied, "What's gefilte fish?"

No, that store isn't on my Kosher for Passover list this year, although yes, I did go in there to see if things had changed.

Not a chance.

Also, I have found one, single, solitary store that has Passover Coca-Cola, the variety using real sugar and not corn syrup.

The price is about $1 more than the regular soda, so rather than buy two or three bottles like I normally do, I just settled for one bottle this time around.

I am not paying more than $10 for three bottles of soda, no matter how good it really is.

And then we have chocolate matzoh ...

My wife and I have been to a couple of stores looking for this delicacy, and we have yet to find a single box of this stuff, whether in dark chocolate or milk chocolate.

I love chocolate matzoh, even better than macaroons, which we found in great supply no matter where we shopped.

But chocolate matzoh ...

What's the deal with that?

I will still look around ...

It isn't Passover without chocolate matzoh sitting there waiting to meet up with your mouth and stomach.

I did see something new this year.

Not that I would buy it--I am happy with UBet chocolate syrup--but the classic Bosco brand now has a Kosher for Passover syrup--

But it is not chocolate, it is vanilla.

I had never seen this before this year, and while vanilla syrup isn't bad, it is not chocolate.

And while I am not a chocolate fiend, nothing goes better in milk than UBet ...

Of the chocolate variety.

I have not yet seen Kosher for Passover Temp-Tee cream cheese, so couple that with the absence of Kosher for Passover chocolate matzoh, and I am not a happy camper right now.

And let me add, for the first time that I can remember, the Kosher for Passover matzoh boxes have a different design, more snappy, more modern, and more to catch the eye of the younger folk who might be purchasing this stuff, maybe for the first time.

I saw this the other day, and I really had to do a double take, because the box design hasn't changed one iota for generations until I saw what I saw.

Potato chips are plentiful, and there are the usual candies and other snacks that go with the holiday.

But where is Kosher for Passover chocolate matzoh?

It can't be impacted by what is happening overseas ...

Or can it?

Rant #3,900: The Big Three-Nine-Zero-Zero

I don't know how we did it, but the Ranting and Raving Blog has reached another important milestone today--

Our 3,900th post.

It is probably a little more than that, because the numbering system somehow got a bit fouled up a few years back, and I also made some posts without numbers, but all in all, we have reached the big Three-Nine-Zero-Zero!

Amazing.

This Blog started out as simply a place where I could write whatever I wanted to write, talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, without any restrictions.

Work had restrictions on my writing, but here, I could do what I wanted to do.

What comes around goes around, and work still has its restrictions, but here, I can pretty much do what I want to do.

As a creative person, it is good to be given a direction, but sometimes, you just want to do your own thing, and that is what this blog has given me the ability to do.

It is a fun place, but I do take on serious subjects--like yesterday's Rant about the war we find ourselves in--but even when I talk about serious subjects, I try to keep it as light--and as readable--as I possibly can.

That is how I am, so if you want more serious and involved discussions, go read a dictionary or an encyclopedia (if you can still find either one).

Me, I like to take it easy on the verbiage.

Several other places I can't take it too easy on.

My health is one of those places.

After never having been sick a day in my life--or thereabouts--the past nearly three years have been awful, to say the least.

It seems that when one part of me gets better, another part fails me--

And I am at that stage right now.

I have to go to a couple of doctors next week, one being the dermatologist, and hopefully, nobody finds anything too out of whack.

But I know that if they do, I will be in that "one step forward, two steps back" thing that I have been on for a couple of years now.

I hate it, but you cannot play with your health.

But other than missing some days here and there, no matter what shape I am in, if I can get to a computer or my phone, I can post a new Rant each weekday.

I missed a day this week pretty much our of utter exhaustion from all the health stuff I have been through, but hopefully I can go on without too much interruption.

And as usual, I thank you, my readers, for keeping me going.

Yes, I know some of my recent Rants have been pretty lengthy, but I have had a lot to say in recent times, so it difficult to compact it into a nice tidy couple of paragraphs.

So stick with me, because that is how it is going to be for the foreseeable future.

There aren't going to be any word counts here.

I say what I want to say, and if it takes several paragraphs, so be it.

But again, I have a lot to say ...

And I like to write.

Funny, way back when, in P.S. 165 and then, at P.S. 30 and I.S. 72, I always kind of knew that this would be my life's work.

I thought about other things here and there, but English was always my best subject, so I knew that I would do something with the language--

I taught for a while, could never get out of the caste system of being a substitute teacher--the worst job in America--and somehow, I gravitated over the writing and editing, and all of these years later, that is what I have done for the better part of well more than 40 years.

I want to retire, but I know that at least for me, that ain't happening anytime soon, so I just have to plug away.

You guys generally don't see the writing/editing that puts food on my table, but it is quite different than what I do here.

In the past, I have written/edited as a professional writer/editor about real estate, security, show business and military resale among other things, but it wasn't even worth a hill of beans when I was looking for a job during the pandemic, probably the worst period to be looking for a job in the modern era.

But the Blog kept me going, even during the lowest of lows during that horrible period, and it keeps me going now.

We are now at Rant number 3,900, so we are on the precipice of reaching our 4,000th post, probably sometime in September of this year ...

That is, if I can keep my health going up to snuff.

So really, that is all I have to say right now.

I am being self-congratulatory here, for sure, but heck, why not?

You can't name too many blogs that have gone on for this many posts and this many years, can you?

This Blog celebrates its 17th anniversary on May 4, and I see no reason to stop it.

We get people from around the world reading it, so why stop now?

I don't make any money from it--it is monetized, but I haven't received a payment in something like 11 years--but that is not why I do this Blog.

I do it because I like to write, and I like to share my opinions and experiences with you.

So continue to visit, continue to read what I have to say, and question me when you don't agree with me or don't like what I have to say.

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

And please stay healthy.

Rant #3,899: The Right Thing To Do

I understand why we are so heavily involved in the Middle East right at this moment.

It is a matter of national security, and, as usual, the right applauds our efforts, the left is disgusted at what is happening.

And then you have those imbeciles that will continue to blame Israel--and all Jews--for what is happening around the world, and not just in the Middle East, and this latest war has simply made their anti-Semitism even greater.

Don't blame the oppressors, blame those that are trying to make things right.

I never believed that one person, in particular, could make people so absolutely crazy, but President Trump is the guy.

We even have something called "Trump Derangement Syndrome," which is a non-medical term which has been conjured up to describe people who have their heads explode every time our president does something that gets their gander.

And with our entrance into the Middle East skirmish with Israel as its partner, I am really starting to believe that whatever our President does, even if it is the right thing to do, certain people will get nuts over it, won't give him any credit, disparage him at every turn, and make him into the devil.

No one wants war, but our actions in the Middle East are necessary to root out terrorism, and these actions should be applauded, and not disparaged--

But you know that even if Trump does something right--he doesn't always do the right thing--certain people will even side with the terrorists over him, and that is exactly what is happening in the Middle East right now.

You have many Democrats, many Hamas groupies, and many others, who are saying that this war is not needed, it is illegal, Congress was not alerted to his intentions, etc., etc., etc.

So would you rather have Middle East terrorists, and the terrorist state of Iran, continue to treat the world as its own bizarre playground, with millions of people tortured, oppressed, and losing their lives?

We should be rallying around our country's actions, even if we don't like our President, but again, if Trump does it, even if it is good, it is no good, because Trump did it.

This is absolutely crazy, but that is what Trump does to people, to those who hear the name "Trump," and they get absolutely crazy.

This is not the first war that an American President has not received Congress' OK to participate in, and it won't be the last.

Ideally, everyone should have been briefed and on board with this, but the action had to be taken now, not after the Senate and the House debated it for days or even weeks, giving the terrorists more time to prepare.

Sometimes you have to hit people when, perhaps, they least expect it, and that is what we, and Israel, did.

The President gave absolutely no impression that this was going to happen.

He went about his everyday business as usual, and while he might have hinted at something happening, no one--not the terrorists, either--thought it would happen this quickly.

But it did.

War brings casualties, and we--and Israel--have lost people early on in this battle.

That is the unfortunate thing about war--there are victors, but those that give their lives--and often their limbs and psyches--during these battles never win.

But wars must be fought when the situation begs for it, and the continual rise of countries like Iran into the nuclear firmament threatens our country and our way of life.

Now, if the U.S. can get some of the more moderate Middle Eastern countries on its side to fight terror--like Saudi Arabia--it will make it even a better situation for all, and certainly for the Iranian people, who deserve freedom after nearly a half century of oppression.

Look, I am not a Trump MAGA 100-percent devotee -- i don't like the fact that prices will rise as a result of this war, and gas rose 22 cents in my neck of the woods in just one day--but you don't have to be a full-throttle devotee to understand what is happening, and to back our President in what he is doing.

A recent poll by CBS News demonstrated that 76 percent if those polled support our current actions in the Middle East--

As long as it doesn't go beyond a couple of weeks.

We don't want another Afghanistan.

But if you suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, everything related to the President is BAD, even if it is CORRECT.

I hope we can all get on the same page.

Hamas, Hezbollah and the other terrorist organizations are not to be defended, as they are the enemy.

President Trump and Israel are not the villains, as they are the heroes in all of this.

We need to get that through our thick skulls.

All of us.

Rant #3,898: Back Together Again

I am back!

I skipped Tuesday's Rant because to be honest with you, I was pooped.

My eyes had been dilated the day before from my retinologist visit, and I just wanted to take it easy--

And easy on the eyes.

What happened during the eye examination was that I was told what I already knew, and what I pretty much acknowledged--

I continue to have a partially detached retina in my right eye, and that isn't going away anytime soon.

I can see, I can read, I can drive, I can work ...

I have absolutely no pain in the eye.

The doctor said that since the eye hadn't gotten any worse, and since it wasn't greatly impacting me in its current state, that I didn't need to have the procedure done right away--

And to come back in two months.

If the eye gets any worse, I can go back to him sooner, but right now, the eye is holding steady in its slightly-off position, so I didn't need to have anything done with it ...

At least right now.

I realize that eventually, I am going to have to get something done, but not right now, with the doctor's diagnosis being to just watch the eye and see how it is progressing.

That is a doctor that I like; not jumping the gun on things when they don't need to be done so quickly, like some other doctors that I have--

Like my urologist, who I visited on Tuesday.

As you know, I have had some issues in that area of my body over the past couple of months, which was set into motion by the over-precaution of my prior urologist, who I allowed to do something that should not have been done at that moment.

That sent me into a spiral that a year and a half later, I am just coming out of.

If things need to be done immediately--like removing that cancerous growth on my scalp--then go ahead, do it, but I don't like doctors that look for things and do things that are not necessary at that precise moment.

My urologist found what he thinks is something this time around, and I am going to have to have yet another catscan to prove--or disprove--what he thinks I have.

It is something I have to get done.

Going back to my previous urologist, of course, a major portion of the fault is mine, because I allowed myself to go through this butchering, when all the tests I took before proved that it wasn't necessary.

But so be it.

You live and learn, even with doctors, who I have learned well into my life, are human beings, and they make mistakes.

My current general practitioner just made a big mistake with me, ordering the incorrect prescription for me, which was never processed by the pharmacy I use because it contradicted what I had been getting.

Nobody ever contacted me about the mistake, and I had to unravel it myself to discover what had happened.

Now that I figured out what happened, the pharmacy said they would process the proper prescription for me--

Only to send me a text just a few hours later stating that they were out of the pills and that they had to order it, and they would contact me when my order was ready.

And I am still waiting.

I really can't win here with doctors ...

You might remember that I was a patient of one doctor who committed suicide, another doctor who was caught red-handed selling prescription pills to high schoolers, and another whose partner fleeced him and the practice they shared, forcing a shutdown of the practice without any notice.

No, I really can't win with doctors, but these messes have forced me to be very proactive when it comes to my personal upkeep.

I do have other great doctors who are treating myself and my family, so they aren't all bad ...

But gone are the days that I put my health entirely in the hands of these doctors, and fully trust them on the level I trusted my parents to do the right thing for me.

Those days are gone, but I know from experience that there are really good doctors out there, some not so good, and others, well, they are dreadful.

My only advice to you is to keep on top of everything related to your personal upkeep, question things you don't understand, and find out if procedures are absolutely necessary before you submit to what are, on occasion, the whims of the doctor.

Over-precaution is good, but sometimes over-precaution rises to a ridiculous level, embroiling you in something that can take months to reverse.

Been there, done that, and I am not going there again if I can help it.

Rant #3,897: Bits and Pieces

Yes, you have read right.

We are doing another "Bits and Pieces" after not doing one for many weeks, we have two in a row.

These stories I am going to get into today definitely do not merit a Rant-long entry, so why not do another "Bits and Pieces?"

Here we go--

Singer/Songwriter Neil Sedaka Passes Away: He was one of the giants of the early 1960s Brill Building era, where mainly Jewish, New York-based songwriters wrote so much of what we heard on our AM radios ...

But Sedaka was a bit different, because not only did he write many hit songs--with long-time buddy Howard Greenfield--but he didn't take his time getting out and performing much of what he orchestrated, unlike others like Carole King and Neil Diamond, who were hesitant about doing so.

Sedaka was something of a piano prodigy as a kid in Brooklyn, and he was even accepted to Julliard on a music scholarship.

But he found his place in the burgeoning urban pop/rock scene, helping to form the earliest version of The Tokens before going out on his own.

"Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," and "Oh! Carol"--about a girl he pined for, yes, Carole King--all were big hits, and he wrote and collaborated with many other stars over the years, everyone from The Monkees to Elton John.

(I always liked "Next Door To An Angel," so I posted its picture sleeve above.)

He re-emerged during the 1970s with "Love Will Keep Us Together" by The Captain and Tennille, where the refrain of the song was "Sedaka's back," and he was, with numerous hits of his own in the 1970s, such as "Bad Blood."

And yes, he is another one of these personalities who really should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but will likely never get in due to politics and the cancel culture of the era in which he excelled.

Also, as I wrote in a brief bit this past weekend, I believe--but never could flat out say was true--that I knew some members of his family who lived in Rochdale Village in Queens, New York, when I did, during the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.

I believe Sedaka's elderly parents lived below my family in the sprawling development; we lived on the first floor, and his parents lived right below us on the ground floor in Rochdale's Building 9, Section C.

I also believe--but again, could never fully substantiate--that Sedaka had other relatives who lived in Rochdale, one of whom I was fairly friendly with.

But whatever the six degrees of separation was--real or at least never fully substantiated--Sedaka will certainly be missed.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Backlash: I am going to tell you a story, and I still find it very hard to believe that I was embroiled in this utter nonsense.

As I mentioned briefly in my previous "Bits and Pieces," I posted in a few sites on Facebook that I found the most recent list of nominees in the Hall of Fame to be the worst list I had ever seen, and I didn't feel that any of these performers--while successful in their own right--deserved to be inducted into this Hall, and I still feel that way.

As I said, I put this opinion up on a few sites, and some people agreed with me, others didn't, and that was that ...

Except on one person's post in particular, a post from someone who I generally respect highly.

I put that opinion up on this person's original post, where he lauded the choices, and one person took it upon themselves to call me every name in the book, referring to my race and religion in the process--as if this had anything to do with anything--and really going off the deep end on this.

I answered back--I mean, you cannot post such trash and not expect a reaction from me--and the original writer of the post took great offense at what I said--

But took absolutely no offense to what the other person posted about my race and religion.

I attempted to explain that my opinion was that NO ONE on the list deserved entrance into the Hall--whether they were white or black, whether they were lily-white Billy Idol or mixed race Mariah Carey or black Luther Vandross--and I was lambasted for my reply.

It shouldn't matter, but the original poster is black, the one who took offense at my post and made it a racial/religious thing is black, and yes, I am white and Jewish, so I guess I was a target.

Couple that with my earlier reaction to the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson--an avowed anti-Semite--and I was told that I got what I deserved, and that I should just take it--

Because the original poster is black and the one who lambasted me was black, so this was, essentially a "black" post.

The offending party, while calling me every name in the book, also went after the original poster, asking him why he puts up with myself and someone else--both of us are white and Jewish--in our various posts we have made.

The original poster pretty much told me that I would have to take it for my opinions, because he is black, just about all of his respondents are black, and that is the way it is.

Funny, if someone, on my "white and Jewish" posts called a black respondent on any of my Facebook posts the horrid names I was called on this "black" site, I would probably get rid of that person just about immediately.

But because I am white and Jewish, I just have to take it on this particular post?

I chatted on Facebook with the original poster. He is a nice guy, but he backed the vulgar respondent for the reasons I said earlier.

We buried the hatchet, but I am still off his friends list for at least a bit.

This is social media, where one post can make people absolutely crazy.

And I don't really buy into this nonsense that Jews "just have to take it," have to grin and bear all the anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric on social media.

No, we don't.

To paraphrase a famous saying, social media seems to be more powerful than the sword in this deranged world we live in.

Health Update: Yes, after all of this, you would think that my health would be absolutely on the fritz, but I feel pretty good, to be honest with you.

Some of my physical processes have actually come back after months of absence--stopping medication with a doctor's approval can work wonders--but I still have some things to contend with.

The first is today, where I have to go to the retinologist to see where I stand with my partly detached retina.

If it continues to show improvement, I might be able to last another month without having a procedure done.

If the doctor determines that I need the procedure done right away, then I will have to go through this, and the aftermath, where I am going to have to lay low for a while.

Hopefully, the former situation will prevail once again, and I can go a bit longer as the retina fixes itself.

But if not, I am going to have to have this done--

And that could impact my work, and my time here at the Blog.

So this might be it for this week here at the Blog, or you might see me again on Tuesday and for the immediate future.

So if that is it for this week, I will speak to you again, hopefully, next week.

Say a prayer for me, because I feel that I am going to need it.

Rant #3,896: Bits and Pieces

Yes, it is that time again--

For Bits and Pieces, where I comment on several subjects that do not require a full-length Rant to get to the nitty gritty of what I have to say about them.

After the snow we have been getting, I figured it was time to rev up Bits and Pieces again, because all we have been getting is a snow job this past week ...

On a number of levels, the first being--

The Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping: This story gets weirder by the day, and the latest that I heard about it is that a 911 call was supposedly put in by a woman who was in distress right around the time of the kidnapping, and it could have been Guthrie herself making the call, but the authorities aren't sure about that.

And Guthrie's family has put up a $1 million reward for their loved one, which again shows that no matter how horrid this story is--and it is extremely horrid--yes, again, it all has to do with money--

But the odd thing is that nobody has taken the family up on its offer, at least not yet, so if the kidnappers were intent on making a windfall from this, they have yet to cash in.

I still believe what I have believed from the very beginning, that this is an inside job--a family member, or someone that the woman recognized, such as hired help, a landscaper, even the paper deliverer.

But something else came to my mind about this sad situation.

The woman was kind of sickly, and we were told that she had mobility issues--

Not that she couldn't get around, but that she had trouble doing so.

Isn't it possible that she may have, for whatever reason, wandered out of her home, and perhaps stumbled in the thick brush surrounding her home, and that she--or her body--can be found there?

There is a lot of thick brush around her home, and I mean, from all accounts, very thick brush, and maybe she is there?

I know, they have that video, but I have to wonder about it ...

Maybe she was, in fact, taken from her home, but maybe she was dumped in the surroundings around the house.

And as for the police there ...

Maybe they aren't telling us everything--and they probably aren't--but would even the Mayberry Police Department had done a better job than these suburban yokels have thus far?

I don't get the whole episode, I don't think anyone else does, and I don't think the police there get it either.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Announced: The announcement on Wednesday demonstrated the worst, most inept list of nominees to date, in my humble opinion.

In fact, I would say that just looking at the list, my first thought was that not a single performer on it deserves induction--everyone from Pink to Mariah Carey to The Black Crowes.

And even the performers I have liked in the past--Billy Idol, INXS--are they really worthy of induction?

What's more, an era has finally been bypassed completely, as acts from the 1950s and the mid to late 1960s have been shunned again, and seemingly shunned for good.

I have my own picks for the HoF, but let me just harp on one that I have been harping on forever.

Lesley Gore was a pioneer in the rock field: a singer whose songs were not the usual girl meets boy type of stuff that girl singers put out in the early to mid-1960s, including "It's My Party" and "You Don't Own Me."

They were mainly about empowerment, doing what a girl wanted to do when she wanted to do it, and were more forceful than material put out by both female and a lot of male artists during her heyday.

Her music was produced by Quincy Jones, marking his entrance into pop music, and honestly, Gore fits every criteria for enshrinement--success, influence, and even her background checks off all of the boxes.

How can Pink even be discussed without Gore already being enshrined? Would Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett even be mentioned if it wasn't for Gore opening the door for them?

With its current list of nominees, the HoF is clearly moving away from the genre of rock into a more pop area, and that is shameful, because there are just so many real rock acts that should be enshrined but will never be in there because of a lot--and I mean a lot--of politics.

I put up my views on Facebook under another person's posts, and I was called every name in the book--none complimentary--because of my opinion.

That is another story for another time, but this is the low-reaching level that the HoF has fallen to with its nominees, and I hope that it is proud of itself for its kind of cancel-culture choices.

As for me, as one of the people who actually put up some money to get this thing built, it is a place that I will never visit because it doesn't reflect music that I enjoy, and performers that I believe should be celebrated.

More Snow Forecast: I couldn't leave this story alone.

On top of what we already have--more than two feet of snow after Wednesday's latest dropping--the weather forecasters are saying that we might get several more inches between now and next Tuesday.

This might directly impact me, because on next Tuesday and Wednesday, I have very important doctors' appointments set up, first with the retinologist about my partially detached retina and second, with my urologist about the various problems that I have had in that area.

Any postponement of these appointments sets me back quite a bit, especially the meeting with the retinologist, where I might need to have a procedure done to correct the retina problem.

None of these doctors are around the corner, so they will take a bit of travel to get to, and if there is more incessant snow, I might have to further postpone these appointments ...

Which is not a good thing for my mind, my body, or my soul, to be honest with you.

But let's see what happens--

And I hope if we do, in fact, get more snow, it is not anything too bad.

Not another two feet bad, if you know what I mean.

And with that, I wish everyone a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.

Let's see how the rest of next week pans out.

Rant #3,895: More, More, More

Well, we got hit again in my neck of the woods.

Yesterday morning, we woke up out of our deep slumbers to find that the snow was really coming down, falling on top of the two feet we already had a few days earlier.

It was supposed to stop by 10 a.m., but it continued pouring down a little beyond that time.

I would say that all told, it was worse than the weather forecasters predicted, and when it finally ended, I would say we got about two or three more inches, at the very least, of new snow--

New snow to clean off our cars ...

New snow to dig ourselves out of ...

New snow that will be old snow by today and into the weekend.

This new snow will become old snow because we might get more today, and forecasters are predicting that we might get another pummeling on Monday or Tuesday, another big snow to open up the month of March.

Some say that we really should not be complaining, because we have not really gotten much snow during the past few years, so we were due.

I say that any hint of snow is a time of disappointment, because I simply hate the white stuff.

And what makes it worse for my family is that my son has to work outside in it.

It seems that every day he works is another bad snow day, and yes, he worked on Sunday and he worked yesterday.

I don't know how many shopping carts he can gather and maneuver when the ground is full of the white stuff, but that is his job, so he has to do it.

And, of course, working outside in this type of weather, he is going to be more open to getting sick, but happily, at least right now, he has been able to stay healthy.

We live in a 55-and-older community, and let me tell you, there are people here who have not been outside since we got that two feet of snow the other day, and they certainly did not venture out into the new snow yesterday.

So their cars are pretty much buried, and who knows when they will get outside into the fresh air?

I went out early yesterday to clean off my wife's car, because she was taking our son to work.

She goes to the gym when she does this, so it just makes it easier for her, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

I also cleaned off my own car, but I didn't use it until I had to pick my son up from work later in the day.

I did as best as I could with my wife's car, and at one point, I almost slipped on the ice, but let me tell you, my left leg held up pretty well ...

As long as I didn't fall, which I didn't.

I cleaned my wife's car off, and it was ready to go, but the problem was that there was a smaller snow plow parked about 50 feet behind her--

Which made backing out of her space a bit more difficult.

But after a little bit of maneuvering--there was also a car looking to move forward coming at her as she did this--she got out of the space, and was on her way to drop off our son at work and go to the gym.

At this point, the winter of 2025-2026 is going to be a memorable one, but for all the wrong reasons.

The snow doesn't stop, and now that we are entering the last month of winter, it doesn't seem to be letting up at all.

I feel the worst for our son, who has to work in the midst of all of this white stuff.

But he will get through it, my wife and I will get through it ...

We will also all get through it, and you know what is going to happen--

Once the summer comes, we will almost forget about this winter, and complain to no end about how hot it is outside.

That is human nature--

And more importantly, that is how Mother Nature works her mysterious ways.

Let me count the days, and the inches, until we can fully dig ourselves out from all of this mess.

Rant #3,894: Money (That's What I Want)

Enough with the snow. We are still getting hit, but let's talk about something else--

We all heard that late last week, the Supreme Court voted down President Trump's tariff plan.

I say "big deal," because it really doesn't impact the consumer. 

You will not be getting a rebate on what you have already purchased that were affected by the tariffs.

Prices aren't going to automatically go down; they will pretty much stay the same, or even rise.

The Supreme Court decision has absolutely nothing to do with new cars or on metals, so if you are planning on buying a new car sometime in the near future, you are still going to be paying higher prices.

And the President has alternative tariff plans, so he isn't done trying to enforce these taxes on foreign countries.

Just prior to his State of the Union address, he enacted a worldwide tariff of 10 percent. He wanted 15 percent.

The Supreme Court decision did impact the stock market, or least right away, with a huge rise upon closing on Friday afternoon, so if you have money in there, you did benefit to an extent ...

And then a few days later, the uncertainty with the tariffs pushed the market down.

But you know the stock market--

One day's rise is wiped out by another day's plunge.

So what does it really all mean for the average consumer?

Not too much, really.

It really is more important that the President lost in the Supreme Court with a 6-3 margin, meaning that some of his own Supreme Court appointees voted against him.

This proves that the President does not control the voting in the Supreme Court, and that the body can vote on its own independently of the President, even if they were appointed by him.

And that is the way the Supreme Court is supposed to work to begin with, and that is the Supreme Court that we all want.

I think that that is more far reaching and interesting related to this tariff business, that a couple of the members of the court went against the President, the very commander in chief who appointed them to this role.

But back to the dollars and sense of the tariffs ...

Do you really think that manufacturers are going to automatically reduce prices because the President's original tariff plan went kaput?

There is still so much concern with the tariffs, especially since the President has said he is pivoting to Plan B.

He hasn't given up on this plan just yet, and probably, you just know that if Plan B doesn't work, there will be a plan C and D and ...

That is how a businessman works, and Trump is, first and foremost, a businessman.

I understand why he imposed these tariffs to begin with: to try to equal the base of trade with our trade partners, who he claimed had had the upper hand when it came to the manufacture and trading of goods for decades.

But I think that putting so many tariffs on so many countries at once completely backfired, and it did so because the people paying the price were average consumers, who saw prices skyrocket at the grocery store, among other places.

When the general public feels it in their own personal pocketbooks, they aren't going to be too happy, and whether the move was right or wrong--or somewhere in the middle--the little guy was getting it, and getting it you know where, and that is never going to sit right with the general public.

NEVER.

So with one tariff plan scrapped and another--and possibly even others--on the way, so many of us remain in limbo on this thing, and it is not going to ease--

Now or in the near future.

So don't let it all tax your mind too much--

We are going to pay for this, and pay for it one way or another.

Maybe the President can figure out a way to put a tariff on the snow ...

Mother Nature ...

Are you listening?

Rant #3,893: Dig the Foundations

Eek!

Now, we have to dig out from under this mess.

We must have gotten about two feet of snow, and yesterday, it was cooler than predicted--it was around freezing--so a lot if the snow froze overnight.

It got so bad in my neck of the woods that a snow plow got stuck in the middle of the street here, and it took well over an hour or two to get the truck off the ice and moving.

And being that this is a 55-and-older community, people aren't that quick in cleaning off their cars, so this area is really at a standstill.

My wife and I looked out the window a couple of times, and while we saw the snow plow trying to move out of his winter quicksand, there was really absolutely no one out at all.

Just a day to watch TV, sleep late or go onto the computer--

The latter if which i did, because I had plenty of work to do.

Again, the beauty of my job is that i don't have to venture anywhere to do what I need to do--

It is all there online.

My son was supposed to have a dental appointment on Monday morning, but, of course, that was deep sixed because of the snow.

I did try to call the office a few times about this, but no one was there, so I left a message.

I am really surprised that someone did not work from home to contact those with appointments and make new ones, but no one did.

In fact, I received an automated message that my son had an appointment on Monday, but that was that.

So, hopefully, I can get him another appointment.

Funny, but over the weekend, I didn't have much to do, so I watched a couple of baseball spring training games--

Where the weather was at least in the 70s or 80s, and the thought of snow for those attending these games wasn't even part of the equation.

As I have often said, once baseball begins, hope springs eternal, and even with several inches of snow on the ground, we just know the warmer weather is coming.

That being said, we really have gotten pummeled this winter, with one snow storm after another slapping us around.

And I just learned that we have more snow coming this week, not as bad as the last one, but bad enough.

But back to baseball ...

The warmer days are coming, as the proverbial "Boys of Summer" are getting their strokes in there as the snowflakes hit us here.

The end is near ...

We just have to be patient.

And this winter ...

We have to be VERY patient.

Rant #3,892: Winter Wonderland

Goodness, I do hate the snow. 

And we received plenty of it Sunday and overnight into Monday morning--

And it is supposed to last all day.

The weathermen kept on pushing the time when we would finally get snow, and after a relatively peaceful day on Saturday, it took until mid-afternoon to get the snow machine blowing on Sunday.

And yes, my son, the cart attendant, had to work through all of this.

When I drove him to work, there were dozens of carts all over the place.

On Sundays, he usually works alone, so the carts were not only in the stall, but in the middle of the parking lot and really, all over the place.

When people see snow, they panic, and within that panic, they get awfully lazy, and they just place the carts wherever.

At a little after 5 p.m. on Sunday, I texted my son, asking him if and when the store would be closing due to there being at least an inch of two on the ground at that time.

He said he did ask his manager, but they simply didn't know when--or if--they would be closing early.

Whenever they would close, I would have to pick up my son, so I really needed to know.

But like my wife said, all these places care about is the all-mighty buck, and if people are stupid enough to do food shopping in a blizzard, if the store is already open, they aren't going to close so quickly.

So with a couple of inches on the ground--and with the authorities begging people to stay off the roads--I had to go out and get him, about two hours early.

I really felt bad for him, bad that he had to work under these conditions--

But at least he got paid for working, so when this snow is just a memory--temperatures are supposed to rise and we are slated for a couple of rainy days later in the week--at least he will get a paycheck for his efforts.

But anyway, I went to pick my son up, driving through some of the worst conditions I can ever remember.

Visibility was near zero, the snow was coming down so steadily and hard that there were no lanes on the road, and although a normally short trip, it seemed like it took me eons to go back and forth.

The snow ...

For this reason and for many others, I simply despise the snow, and I have hated the white stuff every since we moved to Long Island, and I had to clear our walk when we lived in a house.

Now, I am only responsible for my car, but I hate it even more than I did when I was younger, because as you get older, this stuff gets even more annoying than it was when you were younger.

I can't be bothered with this nonsense, but I guess that I have to be bothered by it, because that is the way it is.

I just love when people get interviewed on the local news and they say that they absolutely "love" the snow.

These are people who never picked up a shovel in their lives, never used a snowblower, and certainly never had to clean off their car.

They certainly wouldn't "love" the snow then ...

They would abhor it just like I do.

I don't know how much snow we are getting--as I am writing this, it continues to snow, snow, and snow some more--but we could get upwards of two feet of this stuff.

I sure hope not, because it will bury us in but good.

And my son has a dental appointment later today, but you just know that that ain't happening.

In the early evening on Sunday, the local Newsday newspaper sent out an email message to subscribers that they would not be delivering today, instead combining delivery of the Monday and Tuesday newspapers into one delivery tomorrow.

Funny, when I was an adult deliverer more than 30 years ago, there was absolutely no such thing, and we had to pick up the newspapers at the depot and deliver them in the most horrid circumstances.

I remember a little more than 30 years ago, we had a similar blizzard in January--I think we received 26 inches of the white stuff back then--and I had to deliver each and every newspaper to each and every home on my route.

It took forever, but I did it--

And people complained that they received the early edition of The New York Times, without the scores from the previous day of sports, and I heard back from them with complaints like you would not believe.

Heck, they got a newspaper ... give me some slack for that, why dontcha!

But that was then, this is now, and I absolutely despise the snow.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain--

But no more snow!

I have had enough, so please, Mother Nature, have some pity!

Rant #3,891: All Those Years Ago

Well, we finally got to Friday.

Hip, hip hooray!

Nothing much is going on in my neck of the woods, to be honest about it.

I have been fairly busy with work, so the week has kind of passed by pretty quickly.

And with my son's athletic activities put on hold by the break, the only real responsibility I have to fulfill for the remainder of the week is to do our family's food shopping with my wife--

And that is today, this morning.

That is it.

So I have a pretty dull couple of days coming up, with not much doing later today or on the weekend.

When that happens, I try to stay away from the TV, because once I sit down to watch for too long, I invariably end up taking a nap.

I almost cannot help myself.

So I have to find other things to do.

Lately, I have been getting into my record collection again, digitizing records I hadn't listened to in 40 years or more.

Some of the artists I have been digitizing--and invariably getting into again--including Devo, Cyndi Lauper and Gary Numan.

Devo was very popular on FM radio back in the day. Led by Mark Mothersbaugh--who later was very involved in the music used on "The Simpsons"--the band put out catchy pop music using electronics, such as "Whip It."

Before becoming a darling of Broadway--and way before she admitted to having skin maladies--Lauper was quite the pop princess in the 1980s, putting out one hit record after another starting with "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."

Like Devo, Numan used electronics in his pop music production, and while he was extremely popular in Europe, over in the U.S., he put out a couple of catchy singles, only one of which was successful here, and that was "Cars."

In my opinion, music from the early to mid-1980s doesn't really hold up; it is simply a product of its time, often very mechanical and robotic, and these three artists certainly were mainstays during that period.

The use of synthesizers and electronics seemed to be the next level of pop music, but honestly, listening to these artists and tunes in 2026--more than 40 years after the fact--nothing really holds up, everything sounds kind of tinny, and I have to wonder how I got into this stuff in the first place.

But I was in my mid to late 20s when this stuff was popular, so listening to the old WNEW-FM in New York, this is what they played, so this is what I was into.

Even back then, I preferred the earlier pop and rock of the 1960s through the early 1970s, but you can't knock the popularity of Lauper, Devo and Numan during the 1980s.

And that I hadn't put these records on my turntable for decades shows that at least to me, they were just a passing fancy--

But I am still happy that I have these records in my collection.

I digitized a lot of their stuff, and the true measuring stick is listening to this music in the car--

Because that is where this stuff was originally delivered to the masses, on stations like WNEW-FM, so this is where these songs were probably heard first with my ears.

This digitizing frenzy won't last long.

Baseball is stirring, so there will be plenty to watch as the 2026 season begins in spring training and unfolds in games shown on TV.

My responsibilities--to myself and to my family--pick up in March, where I, personally, have several doctor appointments as we get back to normal after the break.

And I always have work, which gives me something to do, and sometimes too much to do.

But for now, I will continue to digitize music so I can listen to these tunes in the car, and remember--and wonder--where I was at more than 40 years ago.

Certainly in a different place than today.

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

Rant #3,890: Drive My Car

Enough about people who don't really deserve to be covered by me.

Let's move on to something else.

How about driving? 

I know that New York State has increased the points one will get for certain driving offenses, such as drunk and impaired driving, and passing a stopped school bus.

That is fine with me; it might make people think a bit more before they do these very stupid things.

Me, I am driving so much less now than I ever have, and it makes me feel good on one side, bad on another.

When I was working full time, I was putting on at least 1,000 miles a month on my car, between going back and forth to my job and other things I was doing during those years.

Now, as a semi-retired person, I am lucky if I put on 400 miles a month, which I mainly put on the car for my son, whether it is driving him back and forth to work, or to his sports activities.

I enjoy driving, I always have, and like my late father the cab driver, I don't mind driving long distances.

I have driven back and forth to Florida on any number of occasions, and it doesn't bother me at all.

On the bright side, less use of the car means less maintenance, less gas usage, and less wear and tear, so I am saving money by driving less.

Our insurance is still pretty high, and my wife and I are looking for a cheaper insurance that gives us the same protection that we currently have.

I have been driving for more than 50 years.

I got my learner's permit when I was 15, passed the driving test the first time out, and this year, I will celebrate my 52nd year of having my full New York State drivers license.

I love sitting in the car, driving around and listening to the radio, listening to music that I want to hear through my thumb drive that I have plugged into the car.

I also enjoy satellite radio, which I listen to on the weekend.

But again, I am driving so little now, especially compared with what I had been doing, that driving has almost become something of an afterthought, something I do when I have to, but that is it.

Look, I am not complaining at all.

I like the fact that I don't have to fill up with gas each and every week, and that the car's maintenance can be extended because I am simply not driving as much as I used to do.

But I kind of miss the times when I was in the car on a more regular basis.

Just look at this week.

On Sunday, I took my son back and forth to work.

On Monday, I drove to the doctor's office to get my catscan.

On Tuesday, I didn't drive at all.

On Wednesday, my wife drove my son to work, so I just had to pick him up.

Today, on Thursday, I won't be driving at all.

On Friday, I will drive with my wife to the supermarket. There is no basketball this week for my son due to the break, so I don't have to drive him back and forth to the gym.

On Saturday, I will drive somewhere to pick up dinner for myself and my family. There is no bowling for my son due to the break, so I don't have to drive him back and forth to the bowling alley.

So for this week, I might drive a total of less than 50 miles, maybe even in the high 30s or low 40s.

Such is my life right now, and as I said, I have mixed feelings about it.

I think being in the car and driving is relaxing to me, a place where I can get away from things, even for a short time.

But now, with my lack of needing to drive every day, I kind of miss it all.

Being behind the wheel is fun, and I still love doing it, but it is seemingly a diminishing part of my life right now--

Unless we go on another car vacation later this year, which is a possibility.

Whatever the case, I just feel there is nothing like getting in the car, starting it up, and driving to wherever you have to go.

And I hope that one day, my son will be able to have the same experience; we are going to look into that possibility again in the spring.

I am convinced that he can mechanically drive a car, but passing the written test will be a mountain that I hope he can scale, even through his learning disability.

I, myself, am the son of a professional car driver, and my father, then retired, drove until about a month before he died.

Me, I think my destiny will probably be very similar.

Rant #3,889: Not the Loving Kind

Sorry, I cannot mourn the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson like some people are doing.

He and Spike Lee are in the same boat as far as I am concerned, and neither of them are getting any praise from me.

Like Lee, Jackson was a well-known racist, anti-Semitic figure that doesn't deserve any praise or recognition from anyone.

He was the youngest member of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s staff, and when MLK was assassinated, Jackson supposedly rubbed the dead leader's blood on his own shirt, to try to show that he was there at the time of the murder, and that he tried to resuscitate his boss, and neither of these things were true.

He was an opportunist of the highest order, but he learned nothing from the slain civil rights leader.

That was proven when Jackson was at the height of his powers, and ran for president.

During an interview with a black reporter on his 1984 campaign, he made an off-the-cuff comment about Jews being "Hymies" and New York City being "Hymietown," remarks which he initially denied but later admitted to making, not knowing that the reporter would print what he said.

After admitting to saying what he did, not only did he not apologize right away, but he turned it all around, stating that it was part of a Jewish conspiracy to derail his campaign.

His campaign advisors later admitted that Jackson often called Jews "Hymies," and that he had just let his guard down when speaking to the reporter. He had also had a sort of up and down relationship with the Jewish community for decades, and this incident was his most glaring episode of anti-Semitic rhetoric.

After his campaign collapsed, he tried to walk back those comments, but once he said them, the damage was done, and it kind of devalued him as a civil rights activist, pretty much handing the baton to race-baiter the Rev. Al Sharpton Jr. and others.

Of course, much like what I spoke about yesterday, Jackson's guffaw will not be spoken about and will not be brought up by the media now that he is gone.

Funny, how for generations, slurs against Jews are not handled the same way as slurs against other ethnic groups, so once again, his anti-Semitism will be swept under the rug by the media, just like Lee's recent behavior has been.

We are talking about a 40-some-odd-year difference, but the situation continues to happen.

Why is that? 

Are slurs against Jews not as important, or as disgraceful, as slurs against other ethnic groups?

Jackson will be mourned as perhaps one of the preeminent civil rights leaders of the past more than half century, but he really cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Martin Luther King, who was his mentor.

King spoke highly of the Jewish community and Israel, knowing that a firm bond of the two could help the cause of civil rights.

Jackson, and later Sharpton, have seemingly forgotten what King believed in, and are two of the most polarizing religious/civil rights leaders--along with Louis Farrakhan--that I believe our country has ever seen.

So, while you hear one tribute after another for Jackson over the next couple of days, take into account that he is not being mourned by everybody--

And certainly not by me.

I was taught to not talk disparagingly about the dead, but unfortunately, I am going to have to break that rule here.

Jackson was a phony, nothing but a rabble rouser and an opportunist, and let me tell you, the world is better off without him.

Get out the violins ...

I mean exactly what I said.

Rant #3,888: Under the Rug

Leave it to filmmaker Spike Lee to try to make a political statement at the NBA All-Star Game.

The game--which even though it has been revised many times, still remains the worst of all the pro sports All-Star games--should be as apolitical as can be, but Lee didn't want it to be that way.

His presence at any sporting event is an annoyance--and I say that as an avowed and long-time New York Knicks fan--but his appearance at this game was particularly insulting.

Lee showed up wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh pattern wardrobe outfit, along with a pocketbook with the same fashion statement, and topped with a red cap, all of which which made him look like some type of pro-Palestinian clown.

He has never worn this ensemble at a Knicks game, so why do it here?

It is pretty obvious.

This All-Star game was the first such game to have on its player roster a player who is Israeli. The player's name is Deni Avdija, and he is having a breakout season with the Portland Trailblazers.

Since Lee feels he is always more important than the game being played, it is obvious why he chose such an outfit--

To snub his nose at Avdija, Israel and Jews everywhere, since the NBA has become a major international sport, and his statement can get the most bang for his buck on such a platform, and from his front row seat where everyone can see him.

And the ironic thing is that the game tried a new format this year, with stars born in the U.S. playing against stars ...

Born in other countries.

Lee has shown his antisemitism before, as has Kyrie Irving, who also appeared at the game, even though he wasn't playing in it, sporting a T-shirt with a phrase supporting Palestinians.

You might remember that Irving was booted from the Brooklyn Nets a few years back for his anti-Jewish behavior, so this is nothing new here either.

There were others who attended the game who chose the appropriate clothing to mock Avdija, but no action was taken to thwart this behavior by the league or anyone else.

And what makes this all the more bizarre is that perennial All-Star Lebron James stated during a press conference related to the game that he would like to visit Israel--he has never been there--and he had heard from others what a wonderful place it was.

But then we have Lee and Irving stirring the pot ...

You would think that the NBA would try to stem this type of behavior, which takes away from the game, and actually makes a mockery of it.

And it happening at the first All-Star game with an actually Israeli-born athlete as one of the participants really rubs salt into the wound.

I strongly believe that the NBA should try to take some action against this happening again, even though it might be a free speech issue; that even at a sporting event, people can wear clothing that posits a statement that they want to make, even if it is directed at one player.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver--a Jew himself--really should have said something or done something after seeing this, because these wardrobe messages were clearly directed at Avdija.

And the NBA should really look at its past when making strides in its present and future, because don't tell anyone, but the NBA, in its beginnings nearly 80 years ago, was a predominately Jewish league, with players and executives by and large being Jewish.

Current players should know this, as should the public.

These types of displays are disgraceful, and when they are directed at one player, in particular, it makes it all even more horrid.

It is now up to the NBA to do something about it, but you know and I know that they won't do anything.

Absolutely shameful, and I really feel bad for Avdija, who doesn't deserve such abuse, an abuse dumped on him simply because he is Israeli and Jewish.

Look, they may not be able to regulate Lee, but Irving--who violated NBA rules of conduct with his support of Nazis just a few years back--well, Silver should come down hard on him, but he won't.

When racial violence broke out due to the very unfortunate George Floyd incident, the NBA was clearly alarmed, and allowed players to do and say what they wanted about that situation, even designing T-shirts for players to wear to denounce this hatred.

But now, with a single player targeted at one of the league's premiere events simply because he is Israeli and Jewish, the NBA needs to come down on those who want to make an All-Star game into a political statement, one that targets one of its own players.

But like I said, they probably won't do anything, and that really is a shame--

And a real turnoff to anyone--Jew and non-Jew alike--who was watching the game, and all NBA games in general--to relax and be free of politics.

But today, everything seems to be political, but when these politics target one single player, that type of anti-social behavior is simply reprehensible.

You just know if Lee and the others were targeting an outwardly gay player, for instance, the league--and society in general--would not let Lee get away with it.

But as usual, if it relates to Jews and Israel, well, it really isn't taken seriously, and nothing is done.

The NBA should know better, because Lee, and Irving, and their cohorts obviously don't know right from wrong.

They are entitled to their opinion, but there is a time and place for it, and that time and place was not at the NBA All-Star game.

Sports is supposed to be the place where everyone is on the same plane, and everyone fights for their team on the court, on the ice, or on the field.

By doing and saying nothing about this incident, the NBA is simply sweeping all of this anti-Semitic behavior under the rug, where it does not belong--

It should be above the rim, spoken about, and dealt with.

That would be a true slam dunk for the league, and for sports in general.

Rant #3,887: With a Little Luck

Happy President's Day today, where we honor all of our presidents, from Washington to Trump.

On Saturday, my family and I celebrated Valentine's Day at a local restaurant in our old neighborhood, am eatery we hadn't been to in a year or two.

The prices went sky-high, of course, the service was poor, the food was OK but not anything to write home about, and based on these factors, I don't think we will be going back there anytime soon.

The place was packed, so I am sure the restaurant did well that day, but they probably won't be seeing my money in the future.

Prior to that, my son had his bowling league, and again, he led his team to victory, and his team is in first place as we speak.

They are on President's Day break next Saturday, so they won't be bowling again for two weeks, but the team really poured it on on Saturday morning, and they top the league right now.

Let's see if they can keep it going through June, when the league ends.

They won it all a few years ago, so perhaps they can do it again.

Otherwise, this past weekend was pretty quiet, really nothing with nothing.

Today, I have to clean off the snow from my car as I prepare for a catscan, which I am looking forward to like getting the plague, but it all leads up to an appointment with my urologist in early March.

I have had some problems in that area over the past nearly year and a half, and I hope that this time, I get a clean bill of health and can move on with my life.

I have had a tough nearly 18 months in the urological area, but finally, all my processes have seemed to return to normal.

I was the one out of a million where these processes didn't bounce back as quickly as they should have, but right now, I can happily say that I am much better in those areas, so this catscan is simply a precaution to make sure nothing is brewing where it shouldn't be.

Baseball is roaring back onto the scene, so while there really isn't much to watch on TV right now--I have zero interest in the Olympics--that will end really soon, when Spring Training games are set to air.

After a pretty wild winter, baseball means one thing--

Warm weather is right around the corner, and I can't wait for all of this snow to melt away.

We have a solid patch of ice on part of our terrace, and I have to tell you, each day it seems to get a little bit smaller, melting away under the warmer temperatures we have had lately.

The snow we just got won't help, but ...

I just cannot wait to go out on the deck and do some barbecuing ...

But first, we have to get through the remainder of February, all of March and at least half of April to get to that point.

I hope that by then, my medical worries will be minimal, and I can get back to doing what I want to do and enjoy doing, which is enjoying my apartment and the fact that we are the only people who live here who have their own terrace.

I like to feel like the lord of the manor, even if we really aren't ... we just got lucky in getting this deck.

That is what we all need, a little luck, and in between all the horrors of the past few years, I have to say that a little luck has been mixed in in very small doses.

So I have learned to take it as it comes, and I think that is something we all have to do to get through this crazy and bizzaro world that we currently live in.

No, I don't have a four-leaf clover to pin my hopes on--and we are still a few weeks away from St. Patrick's day at that--but as we start the week, when I get my catscan, I am going to be thinking positive thoughts--

And maybe, just maybe, my dreams will come true.

I am nearly 69 years of age ...

The time has come.