tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48616493204599178372024-03-18T06:28:39.394-07:00Ranting and Raving IIYell and Scream If You LIke!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-66438854508373471232024-03-18T03:35:00.000-07:002024-03-18T03:35:00.491-07:00Rant #3,314: Who Do You Love?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwT6u_OVzAewwXi1ybdjhBXUt4MdGQlFUmbTJFVmzIoZeUq0LmlSJUb3hDQ257RFTkDPmIC9qPlezyy8FMtmziZRKeIUaQniVDqa-BZLTvHlQuccq-ltU_k6wJzQ2p8mvYfZ-1yVjCNuB0CWbhzTdbWEZPPLcmEZ6SM2oeipcZ2ZYBdfyiffk_rF9h0/s1480/inbound8363552458387665849.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwT6u_OVzAewwXi1ybdjhBXUt4MdGQlFUmbTJFVmzIoZeUq0LmlSJUb3hDQ257RFTkDPmIC9qPlezyy8FMtmziZRKeIUaQniVDqa-BZLTvHlQuccq-ltU_k6wJzQ2p8mvYfZ-1yVjCNuB0CWbhzTdbWEZPPLcmEZ6SM2oeipcZ2ZYBdfyiffk_rF9h0/s320/inbound8363552458387665849.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Ok, do you prefer Biden or Trump ... or neither one?</p><p>Last week, I put up a Rant about who I was going to vote for our commander in chief.</p><p>I put up a similar, smaller post on the same subject on Facebook, and it elicited a pretty strong response, from those firmly on one side or another and from those in the middle like me.</p><p>"Vote Biden, if you know what's good for you and for the country!"</p><p>"Vote Trump, if you know what's good for you and for the country,"</p><p>Thst's paraphrasing, of course, but that is pretty much whst respondents said in their posts.</p><p>But to me, I still won't be voting for either candidate ... simply because I have no confidence that either one of them is any good, for either myself or our country.</p><p>As I sit here continuing to nurse my left leg, I have had a lot of time to think about this, and this might be the worst choice we have ever hsd to fill the presidential position.</p><p>And that we have done it twice ... where did we go wrong?</p><p>I don't have a clear answer to that.</p><p>Is it apathy -- as so few people vote in the presidential election every four years?</p><p>Could be; but that is really nothing more than an excuse.</p><p>I don't think the votes will be as high for either candidate this time around, because Americans back then four years back were seemingly galvanized to vote.</p><p>This time around, I do believe many people will sit this one out.</p><p>They cannot choose either candidate with a clear conscious, so they won't vote for either one.</p><p>But thst won't stop the candidates from enticing the public to vote for them.</p><p>You will see millions of dollars' worth of advertising throughout media to try and get you to vote either Democrat or Republcan.</p><p>You will want to pull your eyes out of their sockets after we get weeks and weeks of this</p><p>It might turn off even more voters from casting their votes.</p><p>Me, I will cast a vote no matter what, but it will be a write-in candidate no.matter what.</p><p>Look, we still have to get through this election and four more years of either Biden and Trump.</p><p>But looking into my crystal ball, I do believe that the 2028 election will be much more interesting than this one.</p><p>There will be new blood in that race. On both sides of the aisle--</p><p>Even though either Biden or Trump can run again depending on which candidate loses I doubt either one will, for a variety of reasons.</p><p>So in 2028, there will be new skin in the game, and it will be quite interesting to see who emerges post-Biden or post-Trump.</p><p>But that is years away.</p><p>Biden or Trump ... Trump.or Biden?</p><p>Who's it gonna be?</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-49574105110268683712024-03-15T03:30:00.000-07:002024-03-15T03:30:11.866-07:00Rant #3,313: You'll Never Walk Alone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjkIjVMjPdpgOqOecQ-3E1ARgxe4FPGLuZoy0fWUdJVzcAdkpbseITIBeoiBfK_LG0Q2BXufE9rRI8M5QRuRuHeEYTTMU3C1nn_Wr7gb6Elax8JEw5MP7QjG_GedVceSOvkAV3GhlAypZ98IZbOZGNi1co1zmh-xfflSpJG5WO2pl1A_3wdDSxUVo73o/s4000/inbound6009360792432830668.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjkIjVMjPdpgOqOecQ-3E1ARgxe4FPGLuZoy0fWUdJVzcAdkpbseITIBeoiBfK_LG0Q2BXufE9rRI8M5QRuRuHeEYTTMU3C1nn_Wr7gb6Elax8JEw5MP7QjG_GedVceSOvkAV3GhlAypZ98IZbOZGNi1co1zmh-xfflSpJG5WO2pl1A_3wdDSxUVo73o/s320/inbound6009360792432830668.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I went to my doctor/surgeon yesterday to get an update on the condition of my left leg, and the news was pretty good.</p><p>Not perfect, but pretty good.</p><p>My leg is not bendable yet at the required angle of 90 percent at this stage of my rehab, and at first, the doctor thought it was much less.</p><p>We were told at physical therapy that I was in the 70s percentile, but when the doctor first looked at my leg, he said I was only in the 40s.</p><p>But then he saw my range of motion--up and down and side to side--and he changed his tune, saying I was actually doing pretty well, in particular because this was a second operation--recovery from a second operation is a bit more difficult.</p><p>The doctor said that now was the prime time for me to really ramp it up at physical therapy, and get the leg beyond where it is in the 70s percentile to into the 90s.</p><p>I am already doing this, and let me tell you, when I come out of PT, I am pretty tired and a little sore, but a good tired and a good sore, if you know what I mean.</p><p>And he wants me to ramp.it up with my home exercises, which I told him I am already doing. One of my exercises, in fact, I do more than 450 times a day--the exact one he told me to ramp up--so I am doing what I need to do to get back to as normal a situation as possible.</p><p>The doctor then loosened my brace a bit, allowing for more independent movement even while wearing the brace.</p><p>And yes, he said I can take the brace off in a month, and yes, I should be able to drive by my goal, which is April 28, my birthday.</p><p>And better yet, he wants to see me again in two months, not the customary one month, so the doctor must have a good sense of where I am and where he believes I will be in May.</p><p>And with this crazy-but-beautiful weather we are having, I walk around my new neighborhood with either my wife or my son each and every day, so that certainly is helping me.</p><p>So all told, I guess I am doing pretty well--but there is just so much more to do.</p><p>Right at the onset of this, i was told that my recovery would take seven to 12 months, and certainly, my second mishap set me back several months.</p><p>So when you add everything up, most people are dreaming of a white Christmas, but I am dreaming of a "walk" Christmas, as by the end of the year, I should be as close to beating this thing as.possible.</p><p>But honestly, if it takes longer, i am "all in" for whatever it will take to get me back to where i should be.</p><p>So all in all, while the examination might not have been perfect, it was as good as I could expect it to be.</p><p>Yes, I am.on my way ... but like I said, I still have plenty of work to do.</p><p>Have a great weekend. And I will speak to you again on Monday.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-67202812583877238012024-03-14T02:17:00.000-07:002024-03-14T02:17:34.583-07:00Rant #3,312: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X1NddF6HRenpKSHMrmMXvj4ym5mhbv6zMnp0oAn4F2sks9q8wslI5K4Ymcc3UzTSQ_HxaBo6g7hqkaip0fGOf3OosJfVe2f57nHxYijbmCI03Ptu1NXp-g5S27I5dJ5wYVJsyinpg4Ae1llxs6rjgKcnlisOCyg26Rul4D3EwUgRpfl0BinkbMnVb3k/s2400/inbound167357952003912494.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X1NddF6HRenpKSHMrmMXvj4ym5mhbv6zMnp0oAn4F2sks9q8wslI5K4Ymcc3UzTSQ_HxaBo6g7hqkaip0fGOf3OosJfVe2f57nHxYijbmCI03Ptu1NXp-g5S27I5dJ5wYVJsyinpg4Ae1llxs6rjgKcnlisOCyg26Rul4D3EwUgRpfl0BinkbMnVb3k/s320/inbound167357952003912494.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Less than six months prior to the fact, let me ask you this question:</p><p>Who are you voting for as our president?</p><p>I know that that is the most personal of questions, and it really isn't anyone's business who you are voting for.</p><p>And that belief is particularly important in this virulent political climate we are living in right now.</p><p>However, I am ready to talk about this subject, so please hear me out.</p><p>I can tell you right away who I am not voting for.</p><p>I am not voting for a second term for President Biden.</p><p>Are we really, truly better off now than we were under his predecessor?</p><p>His policies have had a horrid effect on just about every facet of our lives as Americans.</p><p>And if that didn't convince me that four more years of Biden would be a major mistake, just go to the supermarket, and tell me how we are better off now than we were during the previous administration--</p><p>An administration led by former President Trump, who I will not vote for either.</p><p>I do believe he was a good President, but he completely trashed his legacy with his crybaby/sore loser attitude he had when he lost to Biden.</p><p>And what happened in our nation's capitol on January 6, 2021, which he egged on and seemingly adored every moment of, cannot ever be excused, and I do mean NEVER.</p><p>So who do you vote for when you are talking literally about two candidates who go from bad to worse?</p><p>I guess I am going to have to write in a candidate. Based on the two main choices, I don't think I have a choice, and I am being forced to do this, especially as an independent voter who has no ties with any party.</p><p>Now, who do I vote for?</p><p>In the past, I have voted for John Anderson years ago, and during the two Bush administrations, I voted for neither father nor son for president.</p><p>(To be more accurate, I did vote for the younger Bush once. I was forced to do this as when I went into the voting booth (remember those?), there was no write-in material available. </p><p>I complained, sticking my head outside of the curtain to do so, was told there was nothing they could do about it, voted for Bush because i could not write in anyone, and later called up the Board of Elections to complain, and they laughed at me on the phone.)</p><p>And just so you know where I am coming from, I won't vote for RFK Jr., either, because 1) his behavior and beliefs are truly repulsive, and 2) choosing either Aaron Rogers or Jesse Ventura as a running mate is, well, idiotic.</p><p>So again, who am I voting for?</p><p>I am certainly not going to write in Nikki Haley's name.</p><p>I am sure thousands of people will do this, as they will write in Michele Obama, Mickey Mouse, and a slew of other characters that defy any logic.</p><p>So again, who am I voting for?</p><p>In the past, maybe i would say Pat Paulsen, but he left us a long time ago.</p><p>Maybe Alvin Chipmunk or Snoopy of Peanuts fame, but I may as well vote for George Santos if I vote for them.</p><p>So again, who am I going to vote for?</p><p>Maybe I will end up doing what I did years ago, when I refused to vote for either Bush ...</p><p>I could use a job with a steady income, you know.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-14246535406710861682024-03-13T02:56:00.000-07:002024-03-13T05:43:47.229-07:00Rant #3,311: Money<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sbWWLqB1a3lmyeIgTQdrjUCgiLhm_QGNgfQNwyAnvm90PluRePbvI5zLo9FB9X8uV5tBjAR6msr1mxgJZtDZKmkj0loujvWX1TlvSybXAlUlt3W4l-Gu6yai57y15ii_s2FFMbOXn90-Ysnuaif0M45LqZdJruhralz-VVOILPA99P5ues5OWAF4Yqg/s345/inbound1234566040103398446.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="345" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sbWWLqB1a3lmyeIgTQdrjUCgiLhm_QGNgfQNwyAnvm90PluRePbvI5zLo9FB9X8uV5tBjAR6msr1mxgJZtDZKmkj0loujvWX1TlvSybXAlUlt3W4l-Gu6yai57y15ii_s2FFMbOXn90-Ysnuaif0M45LqZdJruhralz-VVOILPA99P5ues5OWAF4Yqg/s320/inbound1234566040103398446.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>My son is in a bowling league which plays its games on Saturday afternoon.</p><p>He likes to.pay exact change to cover the two games each Saturday, and usually, there isn't a problem in putting together the proper collection of bills to get his payment to be exact.</p><p>But this past Saturday, for the first time in my memory, between myself, my wife and our son, we could not come up with exact change.</p><p>We looked through our wallets and simply couldn't give him exact change with anything we had in those wallets.</p><p>He was going to have to break a large bill to pay for bowling, which was doable, but which was also the first time he was going to have to do this in all the years he had been in this league.</p><p>Again, no big deal.</p><p>We looked and looked, and cobbled together a few singles and a $5 bill, but it still left him short of what he needed for exact change.</p><p>And then one of us said, "Look in yout bank," meaning getting out a bank our son had in his room that we figured only had change in it.</p><p>We found the bank, and I dumped dozens of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters on my bed ... but then I noticed that there was something else in there--</p><p>It sounded like paper dollars.</p><p>Since we had not opened up this bank in probably a decade or more, I had no idea what was in the bank, and when I discovered that there were a few paper dollars in there, I assumed that they were $1 bills, which would have been fine and solved the problem if that is what was in there.</p><p>I reached in with my fingers, and pulled out three separate bills.</p><p>But they weren't $1 bills--</p><p>They were $2 bills!</p><p>I hadn't seen a $2 bill in ages (have you?).</p><p>I know that esrly in the 20th century, they were in circulation, were later pulled, and did not come back until 1976, the Bicentennial year, when they were re-released with great fanfare.</p><p>But then our government found out thst most people weren't recirculating the $2 bills; they were keeping them, pretty much as oddities.</p><p>Nearly 50 years later, the government still produces them, they are legal tender, and they can be circulated.</p><p>So we put together one of the $2 bills with the other bills we cobbled together, and I reminded my son that they are legal tender ... but if, for some reason, he was questioned, that he could take some change with him to cover the $2.</p><p>But there were no problems, and his streak of paying exact price for his bowling continued.</p><p>I have no idea where he got those bills, but we obviously buried them in his bank, not circulating them like most people don't do.</p><p>Thomas Jefferson is on the front of the bill, a rendering of the Declaration of Independence is on the other side, and it actually is a nice looking bill.</p><p>Preserved at the bottom of an old bank that we hadn't opened in years, it was like finding buried treasure, in a funny sort of way.</p><p>The $2 question is this: will we have to use another $2 bill this week to keep our son's streak alive?</p><p>I don't know yet ... let me look in my wallet.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-14471503605999701022024-03-12T03:29:00.000-07:002024-03-12T03:29:02.302-07:00Rant #3,310: Talking In Your Sleep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEijwbrjqpipD9E34dgs8RnJmAlO-k6hzHtekWW5xd0TQA2Hbxnxd3P7FWi2iUE2qrpyI4Tc3XFIHuITkRyUUwEQlRoTaIbSpb9OxOkTEKnzwc5ZFwmuEqTxxRvJvXv2vkvoZ5ydEq8rAFwo8szIZ_K_vQ-f0sDKew7_ynHTsitoQLS3P1Oq7iu9Nn0k4/s2128/inbound6247385599201887723.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEijwbrjqpipD9E34dgs8RnJmAlO-k6hzHtekWW5xd0TQA2Hbxnxd3P7FWi2iUE2qrpyI4Tc3XFIHuITkRyUUwEQlRoTaIbSpb9OxOkTEKnzwc5ZFwmuEqTxxRvJvXv2vkvoZ5ydEq8rAFwo8szIZ_K_vQ-f0sDKew7_ynHTsitoQLS3P1Oq7iu9Nn0k4/s320/inbound6247385599201887723.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>My life as a sedentary person has greatly affected me, both mentally and physically.</p><p>The physical part is one thing, and it is the "easiest" thing about what I am going through.</p><p>"Easy" is the operative word here.</p><p>The physical part of this is getting better all of the time, and with the physical therapy I am going through, and the work on the physical side that I am doing st home, I believe that I will be back to some semblance of myself later this year.</p><p>The mental toll is harder to figure.</p><p>Being so cooped up in the house much of the time has put a heavy load on me.</p><p>I was always a very active person, and now, not being so active, I have had to change many things in my lifestyle.</p><p>I have had to reduce my sugar intake, watch my salt intake, and try to stay as busy as possible, all within the confines of a small two-bedroom residence.</p><p>It has not been easy, and I take it day by day, as some days are better than others.</p><p>I have not been sleeping very well. </p><p>I am not a heavy sleeper to begin with, but since my first accident, my sleeping has been ragged at best.</p><p>I sleep an hour here, two hours there, 45 minutes elsewhere, and this has been going on since the end of September, when I first hurt myself.</p><p>My wife suggested that perhaps my soda intake was greatly affecting my sleeping during the past six months or so.</p><p>When I was active, I just burned off a lot of the caffeine and sugar, but now, not running around nearly as much, my body simply can't do it anymore.</p><p>So I first cut it down to having my favorite Coke at dinner, but it just had little impact on my sleeping.</p><p>So then, I decided to cut it out completely.</p><p>This was a tough decision, as I am not the most prolific water drinker ... although I do like seltzer.</p><p>My wife found a sugar-free juice that is OK, and we put the premise that the soda was affecting me now like it never had before into practice.</p><p>Well, it has worked. To a certain degree at least.</p><p>I am not sleeping in my bed or bedroom very much, probably because it is very uncomfortable to sleep with the leg brace on.</p><p>But even though I am doing much of my sleeping--at least 80 percent of it--in the living room, with my leg propped up on an ottoman that we have--my sleeping has improved, but not consistently.</p><p>Although I continue to sleep in clips, the clips are somtimes longer. And most important, I can get back to sleep easier, but not all of the time.</p><p>For instance, on Friday and Saturday nights, I slept for about nine and 10 hours total each night.</p><p>Before, I was sleeping maybe four ir five hours, sometimes six.</p><p>But on Sunday evening, I had a setback, and only slept about three hours.</p><p>Monday evening, I probably slept about five or six hours, but it was split up, not consecutive hours but some time here and some time there.</p><p>Look, I am not sleeping normally, not sleeping through the night without getting up for several minutes in between, but things were better, at least on Friday and Saturday nights.</p><p>I continue.to have some anxiety, and I continue to believe thst staying as busy as I can is the best remedy for what ails me in my head.</p><p>But while I do miss my daily Coke to a certain degree, if it is going to.impact my sleep, perhaps I can live without it.</p><p>Maybe at some point in the future, when I am well and running around like I usually do, I can go back to drinking soda, but right now, I can live without it.</p><p>I previously went a few years without soda when I had my gall bladder removed when I was age 50--I tried to drink it afterwards, but i.stopped drinking it because it made my stomach feel a bit bloated--but I went back to it gradually, and never had any ill effect from it.</p><p>But now, I am getting away from the stuff again.</p><p>Maybe I will return to my favorite beverage again at some point, but right now, I won't lose any sleep over this loss.</p><p>Hopefully, I will be able to gain some sleep--and some mental peace of mind--from pushing soda aside and letting it fizzle out from my daily routine.</p><p>But I clearly am suffering from insomnia related to my injury, and I keep on trying to learn how to fix this.</p><p>I am frustrated, but I am not defeated.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-35001422990192753812024-03-11T03:26:00.000-07:002024-03-11T03:26:31.370-07:00Rant #3,309: Mama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHOz0SzezsELE4KNQk_NyoQAzUAou_nt_g3qp7QJ42JxELbguLUS3BIPEisQBglT4-ahw2StSCC6A8CIJWaqlQ3N6POuPMoh5le_Z9s3UTgUzbkR9XF8tCh8f9Y7-hXJQQdMr7NwuE3Dx5naEdljJnP9Egq1rfdFo833SHirN1fUk8zAlGYfTwP0eq9s/s1080/inbound317860882132288106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1080" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHOz0SzezsELE4KNQk_NyoQAzUAou_nt_g3qp7QJ42JxELbguLUS3BIPEisQBglT4-ahw2StSCC6A8CIJWaqlQ3N6POuPMoh5le_Z9s3UTgUzbkR9XF8tCh8f9Y7-hXJQQdMr7NwuE3Dx5naEdljJnP9Egq1rfdFo833SHirN1fUk8zAlGYfTwP0eq9s/s320/inbound317860882132288106.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Today, you get a second Rant.</p><p>Happy birthday to my late mom.</p><p>She would have been 93 years old today.</p><p>I hope she is enjoying her day in heaven.</p><p>I am going to keep this bonus Rant shirt and sweet.</p><p>Here she is, on the far left, with my grandmother (her own mom) and my sister, in a picture taken sometime in the 1980s or so, I would guess.</p><p>If you look.closely, I unwittingly got into the picture myself, in my bar mitzvah portrait in the background.</p><p>What a photo!</p><p>I have no idea who took it, it might have been me for all I know, but look.how happy everyone is there.</p><p>Happy birthday, mom!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-48127821526297648232024-03-11T02:55:00.000-07:002024-03-11T02:55:36.763-07:00Rant #3,308: A Must To Avoid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehRt8JNR9ZA6mvIJc7neVYnu3uhP84M4BGJdpmB4bjhDRfIxQJ1IldTbEzR6F0svsn5JwUyvBhmTdBNJp9n3700045Sz5Q3icg7LcQNbnmHkm6xBvVNVZuXO4rQUfUc8xJaXEmrvueezByxVp9YgcFnAx34meoA9YxN4pPshA0n2R4a0eciz1kQRPhoI/s2000/inbound4137704144350215860.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehRt8JNR9ZA6mvIJc7neVYnu3uhP84M4BGJdpmB4bjhDRfIxQJ1IldTbEzR6F0svsn5JwUyvBhmTdBNJp9n3700045Sz5Q3icg7LcQNbnmHkm6xBvVNVZuXO4rQUfUc8xJaXEmrvueezByxVp9YgcFnAx34meoA9YxN4pPshA0n2R4a0eciz1kQRPhoI/s320/inbound4137704144350215860.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p>What took place during the Oscars telecast on Sunday evening is exactly why I will never watch any such ceremony.</p><p>The majority of these Hollywoid elitists--who continually relate to us that because of their fame, money and notoriety, they know better than the rest of us peons--sported pro-Palestinian and pro-ceasefire pins on their ultra-expensive and lavish tuxedos and gowns, bringing the Israel-Hamas conflict to the award ceremony--just like you knew they would.</p><p>Notice, these perverted idiots may ask for return of the hostages, but they do not demand any rebuke to Hamas for starting this thing to begin with.</p><p>And in the "Month of Women" I don't see any of them calling out the atrocities we know were perpetuated on numerous women during Hamas' seige, nor how women are treated, in general, in much of the Arab world, and more directly, by Hamas and the Palestinians themselves.</p><p>They yell about a ceasefire, but they very conveniently forget that Israel has already recently agreed to one--Hamas rejected it.</p><p>They yell about the supposed "plight" of the Palestinians, but they forget that these very people allowed Hamas to be the group that represents them, so they are culpable in all of this too.</p><p>And somehow, they forget that in this Hamas-run territory, every cause that they stand for--including LGBTQ rights, women's rights, inclusion--would be met with not only rebuke, but with the worst, most heinous retribution imaginable.</p><p>They yell about a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians have rejected this notion for generations, and Hamas doesn't want this either--they refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, and they demand the entire territory, not any piece of land that resembles a "state."</p><p>And do they honestly believe that Hamas really gives a hoot about the Palestinians? Their end game--the annihilation of Israel and then, the world's Jewish population--justifies the means, using the "plight" of the Palestinian people as a guise for what their actual intentions are.</p><p>No. I won't watch any money-laden, ego-driven group that glamorizes terrorists.</p><p>And finally, where is the Jewish pushback in Hollywood to all of this?</p><p>Nonexistent.</p><p>The Hollywood community, in its entirety, is the biggest bunch of phoneys the world has ever known.</p><p>And to see them self-congratulate themselves for their so-called triumphs and accomplishments is just so completely repulsive that the Oscars--and all such awards ceremonies--have become totally unwatchable, even before the infusion of the latest conflict into the precedings made these shows not just unwatchable, but repugnant.</p><p>God help us all when terrorists are looked at as heroes, and those who should earn our adulation--Israel and its mosaic of different people in their democratic society--are looked at as enemies and villains.</p><p>God help us all. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-29294123111532274372024-03-08T02:52:00.000-08:002024-03-08T02:52:32.258-08:00Rant #3,307: The Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPpSXXokoeJn_AEA0mZQGFSQRfprs0303C5XmMYbZe5TqC-Yi1QyzJmualLlukHW4odJPtHP8wLZCBxgq81FKEdXP0Sq9tDMLY2OMs_U89O25CAeSrTp5r2uGsQ9JJ1kD-c4kPSgnmTAT_GokZjwiNpf97KBxf4AXjKjKARtRzHPvXCMZQ9KdnTXZy4w/s750/inbound9077180023807422274.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPpSXXokoeJn_AEA0mZQGFSQRfprs0303C5XmMYbZe5TqC-Yi1QyzJmualLlukHW4odJPtHP8wLZCBxgq81FKEdXP0Sq9tDMLY2OMs_U89O25CAeSrTp5r2uGsQ9JJ1kD-c4kPSgnmTAT_GokZjwiNpf97KBxf4AXjKjKARtRzHPvXCMZQ9KdnTXZy4w/s320/inbound9077180023807422274.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>Black History Month is over, but there is no reason not to talk about black history, or anyone's background or history, whenever the subject comes up.</p><p>I had an interesting experience on Facebook yesterday, related to black history on television, but a discussion that stepped way over thst subject into something that I honestly could not foresee and had no idea that it would amount to.</p><p>A Facebook.poster put up a message that "The Andy Griffith Show" was, as was the norm for the time it was produced in, not a very diverse place as far as actors were concerned, using the definition of the word "diverse" that we use today.</p><p>I can't argue with that; there were very few, if any black speaking parts on thst show.</p><p>(As an aside, I really cannot stand when people use the norms of today to often unfairly ridicule the norms of the past. It serves no purpose st all, other than feeding into a "cancel culture" vibe that honestly, serves absolutely no purpose.)</p><p>I brought up that on the sequel show, "Mayberry RFD," there was a regular black character on thst series: Charles Lampkin, a black actor who had a very interesting career, played a Mayberry farmer named Ralph on that show.</p><p>But not having a diverse cast did not take away from the fact that "The Andy Griffith Show," by any definition, was a classic TV show.</p><p>I brought up my own situation to give more solid backing to my claim:</p><p>"The norms of the time were different, and "Mayberry RFD" did have a recurring black character. </p><p>I also didn't see any Jews on the show, either. The whole town seemingly went to church every Sunday, but were there Jews in Mayberry?</p><p>I, as a Jew, never questioned it, and it really wasn't important at all.</p><p>The show was a classic. The end."</p><p>i had a few fellow respondents state thst they didnt know that there was a regulsr black character on "Mayberry RFD," and that they would check the show out to see what i was talking about.</p><p>Now, that should have been the end of the discussion ... but one respondent wanted to bring the discussion into another dimension, one that I did not expect, but one, given the world we live in, that shouldn't be very surprising:</p><p>"That's because yall are too busy bombing babies."</p><p>Since Hamas began the war with Israel, latent anti-Semitism in some people, which probably has festered under the surface in their warped minds for years, has exploded in all media and onto our streets.</p><p>Once again, Jews are being blamed for all.of the world's ills, and some people believe that they now have the freedom to voice this filth and inject it in any and all conversations.</p><p>Jews are once again being looked at as emissaries of the devil, and based on Hamas's very reason for existing--that each and every Jew must be removed from.the face of the earth--some people are proudly and blatantly jumping on this insane bandwagon of hate.</p><p>And in our country, anti-Semitism, and acts related to it, are on the rise at horrific levels not seen in generations.</p><p>Well, I just had to reply to this fool, and I did just that:</p><p>"Get a hobby. You are an anti-Semite imbecile, taking a comment I made thst was not political into one that you felt the dire need to show your true colors. I have spent more time on you than you deserve. Moderator--get rid of this fool."</p><p>Honestly, I don't expect the moderator to do anything about this person's comments, because I have seen similar comments made in other Facebook threads, and pretty much nothing is done.</p><p>The world we live in today is a scary place. Way before the war, I was a victim of more than a couple of anti-Semitic incidents over the years, one where a neighbor came right up to me when I was holding my then-infant daughter in my srms and called me the most vile anti-Jewish name you can imagine.</p><p>But in 2024, some people believe that this door is not just ajar, but fully open for this hatred to be bantered about as part of normal conversation.</p><p>Sorry, I don't agree.</p><p>Those that have this venom of hate pulsating through their veins need to be educated and need to know that there are people from all backgrounds that will let them know how imbecilic they are.</p><p>If nothing else, these fools should keep their thoughts, however ridiculous they are, to themselves.</p><p>A discussion of something so benign as "The Andy Griffith Show" should not elicit such repugnant responses.</p><p>Have a good weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-67558484116413458422024-03-07T03:34:00.000-08:002024-03-07T03:34:43.131-08:00Rant #3,306: A New York State of Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNg9QuefhPNm00qqdVrsMYPCUbaTvjh-7_NjiQzCR9__lEmLN_HAFREWZ9INEfPqkjs3V2_di0a5auzjge8jFPqPZfNKhiPA8Wnr2uAS7caAPwy563sNAlicmKOmyXDj1Ympw8sB5xRDE6ZVNl4ahxiIC_RSQ840mJP67F_A1E5TGhwioe3MLTlGq-wc/s1200/inbound7784548792938225432.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1200" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNg9QuefhPNm00qqdVrsMYPCUbaTvjh-7_NjiQzCR9__lEmLN_HAFREWZ9INEfPqkjs3V2_di0a5auzjge8jFPqPZfNKhiPA8Wnr2uAS7caAPwy563sNAlicmKOmyXDj1Ympw8sB5xRDE6ZVNl4ahxiIC_RSQ840mJP67F_A1E5TGhwioe3MLTlGq-wc/s320/inbound7784548792938225432.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I remember that as a kid, we used to go into the open fields and find things like coins, horseshoes, and discarded stuff that we thought was interesting, like discarded clothing and cans and bottles of Thunderbird.</p><p>In today's world, kids find body parts in open fields.</p><p>I am sure you have heard about the case, right here on Long Island, where kids going to school found arms and legs and other body parts right by their school.</p><p>Dusattached body parts have been found in other nearby places, and they have supposedly been traced to a love triangle involving people from Yonkers, a man and a woman carved up and thrown around as if you were throwing old gum wrappers out the window of your passing car.</p><p>Police have taken into custody four people from the unaptly-named Amityville as suspects--</p><p>But they could not jail them and had to release the four because New York's bail laws do not allow for those suspected of perpetrating such a crime to be bail-worthy, fir the lack of a better expression.</p><p>Each has a GPS attached to them, and they have been told to stay where they are.</p><p>The bail laws in this state are idiotic to begin with, make no sense, and if anyone needed to be incarcerated for their possible crimes, these four fit that profile.</p><p>What more can you say about this crime?</p><p>It is almost as if the perpetrators wanted to get caught, because the initial body parts were found near a school, basically hiding in plain sight.</p><p>And then the police find four imbeciles who they think are prime suspects for cutting this man and woman into pieces, and they can't even hold them in jail, where they belong?</p><p>That is what is happening in New York State now, where criminals of every level run rampant here because they know that little will happen to them and they will be out on the street lickety split.</p><p>Is it any wonder that some thug being held for some heinous crimes in Arizona, and has a long rap sheet linking him to some heinous crimes in New York, is not being extradited to New York because authorities in Arizona do not trust that he will be handled properly if they sent him back to New York? </p><p>They believe that because New York bail.laws are so lax, that he will be back out on the street right away if he came back east.</p><p>Crazy, absolutely crazy.</p><p>Serious crime is a daily occurrence in New York City subways, with innocent people being stabbed, pushed onto the tracks, and assaulted each and every day.</p><p>The governor here, "Yokel" Hochul, is even dispatching the National Guard to the subway for protection, and has put in place random searches of those using the subway.</p><p>And as many people are for it as against it, as those against it say that it is not inly an invasion of privacy, but it could lead to racial profiling, even if the searches are random.</p><p>And then we have the "migrant" crisis ... what more can you say about this that hasn't already been said?</p><p>Good people are leaving this state in record numbers every year, due to crime and the cost of living, which is impossible to handle here.</p><p>I have said this time and time again, and I will say it again: this is not the world I was born into--</p><p>And I will also say this again: watch who you vote for, this November and every November.</p><p>It won't be Nikki Haley, who bowed out of the race on Tuesday.</p><p>Even though I wouldn't have voted for her--nor Biden or Trump either--it would have been interesting to see how many votes she would have usurped from Biden and Trump if she would have remained in the race as an independent.</p><p>But now, we will never know, and we are stuck with a choice of an extremely weak president and a former president, a former Queens boy like myself, who is a crybaby and a sore loser.</p><p>Me, I might just vote for another former Queens boy--and I will let you figure out who that person just might be.</p><p> It is somebody I fully trust ... unlike the two major party candidates.</p><p>Who can it be now?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-56244862958494231732024-03-06T03:34:00.000-08:002024-03-06T03:34:15.868-08:00Rant #3,305: Kind of a Drag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEnxY-BXzCNYqLqXebosha4eRr6BW7bhuPtRQVZGh_paLlZiw9rAUjomBsYW-iQpjkjFpAhx3w8FTgWQNX4iLTyCkod2qXyAlT_hKWQ7Yz4rdTHb7dhAi3JHNnlT2B1xW4ewrTtkRJFLlthgpeXyPodhFIX7QmZRdiwbSTthyphenhyphenC_4wEPOvGU3cng7QjoI/s1864/inbound2532793228188660412.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1864" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEnxY-BXzCNYqLqXebosha4eRr6BW7bhuPtRQVZGh_paLlZiw9rAUjomBsYW-iQpjkjFpAhx3w8FTgWQNX4iLTyCkod2qXyAlT_hKWQ7Yz4rdTHb7dhAi3JHNnlT2B1xW4ewrTtkRJFLlthgpeXyPodhFIX7QmZRdiwbSTthyphenhyphenC_4wEPOvGU3cng7QjoI/s320/inbound2532793228188660412.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Yesterday, there was a short period--something like an hour or so--when many people could not access their Facebook accounts.</p><p>I found out about this when my wife asked me if I had trouble getting into Facebook. I wasn't on at the time she asked me, but I had been on several minutes earlier.</p><p>I was actually doing some editing for work, so while I was on the computer, I was not social networking when the outtage occurred.</p><p>When i did go onto the social networking site, I was asked for my Facebook password, and as I was ready to put it in, the screen dovetailed right into my account as it normally does, so I really didn't think twice about it.</p><p>But lots of people got absolutely hysterical about not being able to get into their accounts.</p><p>Based on some of the posts I read later on, you would think that the world had fallen off of its axis, and that not being able to get on Facebook was akin to treason, or something like it.</p><p>Facebook said it was some kind of technical.issue, and that it also impacted Instagram and Messenger.</p><p>The first thing people think of when they can't get onto their favorite Internet sites is some type of electronic terrorism is afoot, some type pf hacking, some type of nefarious behavior that is akin to a world where social networking is about the most important thing in the universe right now.</p><p>Again, I, personally, had no idea that anything was amiss because I was busy doing other things than social networking at the time.</p><p>The outage, or whatever you want to call it, lasted between an hour or maybe two hours tops, and some people simply could not handle it.</p><p>i saw many messages about the outage after the fact. One Facebooker wrote, and I paraphrase, "I have some very important information that I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't do it when Facebook was out.</p><p>"I wasn't going to try to get 7,000 phone numbers and call you all up and tell you what I wanted to say, but what I have to say is very important."</p><p>OK, I get it, but not having Facebook available for any period of time does get some people hysterical.</p><p>Maybe it would have gotten me hysterical, too, but we'll never know for sure how I would have reacted.</p><p>Maybe I would have reset my phone, or maybe I would just have put the phone down for a rest.</p><p>I get very tied into Facebook myself at times, and you know how it is--</p><p>When the Internet, as a whole, is working, it is the best thing going ...</p><p>But when it doesnt work, it is the most frustrating thing in the world.</p><p>The one glimmer of hope thst came out of this episode is that we all suffered as a society when Facebook went down</p><p>Facebook not working impacted everyone--people of all colors, all creeds, all religions and all backgrounds.</p><p>Even if we have differences, it brought us all together as ONE.</p><p>So we can, in fact, all agree on one thing:</p><p>When Facebook.goes out, it's a catastrophe--</p><p>No matter who we are.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-89490472318468967032024-03-05T02:47:00.000-08:002024-03-05T02:47:39.496-08:00Rant #3,304: Bad Medicine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpgAzjDFoUZeUeyUs2iSZYfPppxfWh0J5Fhl-o7DNMr3CJKXdNZAYl77DYMSeESgRcFCKAU4YWotzhbC3Eca6yuefTO9i99IiyVZ2gxWoUoxyezhf3uXqg9-zLmZdtWYCvp4fPHF-JkS0ouu0vk75RNnm1HQ2NSA4XvGQXIZjB0pOyuuxNcb6pJTY_-Y/s900/inbound3728962821122044584.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="900" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpgAzjDFoUZeUeyUs2iSZYfPppxfWh0J5Fhl-o7DNMr3CJKXdNZAYl77DYMSeESgRcFCKAU4YWotzhbC3Eca6yuefTO9i99IiyVZ2gxWoUoxyezhf3uXqg9-zLmZdtWYCvp4fPHF-JkS0ouu0vk75RNnm1HQ2NSA4XvGQXIZjB0pOyuuxNcb6pJTY_-Y/s320/inbound3728962821122044584.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>You might remember that a few weeks ago, my regular doctor went out of business without warning.</p><p>Unable to find out much about what was going on, l did my digging, and found out that there were some financial improprieties at the practice, forcing the shutdown of the entire four office medical office.</p><p>Well, I received an email bright and early yesterday morning making the shutdown official.</p><p>The email did not speak directly as to why the practice was shuttered without warning, but it made the close-down official.</p><p>I guess the doctor was given the approval to finally, all these weeks later, alert his patients to the closure, because you might remember that when I got through to the doctor on my own, he said he was prohibited from alerting his patients about the closure, which, honestly, made no sense, but ended up being true.</p><p>The latest email also gave me a glimmer of hope about my family's medical records.</p><p>It said that we could transfer our medical records to our new doctor, if we had one, which is a good thing.</p><p>All we had to do was make a written request for the records and send it out using regular mail, and that is exactly what I did first thing in the morning.</p><p>Fourteen years ago, when my previous doctor was in jail for peddling drugs to high school students, I tried to get my records, but I was told by the state attorney general that even though my doctor was a jailbird, his license had not been revoked, and he still owned those records--and if I wanted them, I woukd have to pay per page for them.</p><p>My records went back decades--including those from the doctor that preceded the jailbird--so it was unfeasible for me to be paying per page for decades of records.</p><p>I believe I later found out that when they cleaned out the doctor's office to make it into a residence that was eventually sold, all the records ended up in a dumpster--the bulk of my records were on paper, as much of my time there was during the pre-Internet days--and that if I wanted my records, I could search for them in there.</p><p>No way!</p><p>So this time, at least my new doctor will have my medical records ... but as you can imagine, based on past experience, I am not holding my breath on this.</p><p>But I guess thst yesterday's email put a bow on this entire situation, and I am glad that I was able to find a new doctor relatively quickly.</p><p>So that ends that ... I hope.</p><p>I certainly don't need to get sick over this for a second time.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-91998198212199529402024-03-04T01:34:00.000-08:002024-03-04T01:34:30.525-08:00Rant #3,303: Dear God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJPpt0xSP8ms6FZOmQ8hZ863MR9REhKauOBkYiHOfv8KzDeCMs7btYdrKo2wQ6tYCqWIu4bBLg6INp7UnKHTuGNgssT8vbwDRuepzC5K4DSrMK-Ba-INJz2yscbaY1HOkrb21E1PyQL-FayD5dFaT1Q5qRAebo9XLyblDQpB5fQdPiWoI-q0cLlNTyBI/s1640/inbound4626557435678941632.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJPpt0xSP8ms6FZOmQ8hZ863MR9REhKauOBkYiHOfv8KzDeCMs7btYdrKo2wQ6tYCqWIu4bBLg6INp7UnKHTuGNgssT8vbwDRuepzC5K4DSrMK-Ba-INJz2yscbaY1HOkrb21E1PyQL-FayD5dFaT1Q5qRAebo9XLyblDQpB5fQdPiWoI-q0cLlNTyBI/s320/inbound4626557435678941632.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Another weekend ...</p><p>Not much doing ... same old, same old.</p><p>I did take a walk outside with my wife yesterday afternoon. It was the first time I had done this since my injury. </p><p>It was near 70 degrees yesterday, so why not?</p><p>Late Friday night, a Facebook friend that I won't name here posted an interesting question, one that garnered quite a number of replies.</p><p>The question was one that had no right or wrong answer, and iisone that I believe we have all asked ourselves at various points in our lives:</p><p>"Do you believe in God?"</p><p>The question was not religious based, it simply asked the question about one's belief in a higher power.</p><p>I decided to give it a go, and this is what my reply to thst question was:</p><p>"I am going to start out that I am Jewish, so my viewpoint might be from a different angle than many of you.</p><p>I have never been a very religious person, more Jewish in culture rather than religion. I was bar mitzvahed, married a Jewish girl and raised my kids as Jews.</p><p>But 2023 stretched my belief in God.</p><p>My family and I experienced the most horrible of years.</p><p>My mom's dementia ended up enveloping her, and she had a major stroke--while I was on a cruise, thousands of miles away.</p><p>I did get to see her briefly when I returned, but she never recovered, and she passed away at age 92.</p><p>My family and I were forced out of our home of many decades due to a variety of reasons, and we were forced to downsize about 90 percent as we moved from a house to a much smaller apartment.</p><p>And in the process of moving, I tore the quad muscle in my left leg due to an accident--</p><p>And then once we moved to our new residence, I tore the quad muscle for a second time due to an even odder accident than the first one.</p><p>Yes, I asked God on more than one occasion, "Why is this happening?"</p><p>The reply that I received was all in my head anyway: "Just sell mom's house and everything will be better."</p><p>We ended up selling her house, but made little money from the transaction, again for a variety of reasons.</p><p>And since we sold the house, things have gotten better.</p><p>I am rehabbing well, and although things are a little bumpy, so far, so good thus far in 2024.</p><p>And I almost forgot to mention that I lost my job almost four yesrs ago, a job I had for a quarter of a century, when the company I worked for went out of business just before the pandemic hit--and you guessed it, I never was able to get another full time job, not being in my 60s as i am.</p><p>And I lost my dad during this time too.</p><p>So how does this long-winded tale answer the original question?</p><p>Right now, although I have been severely tested during the past couple of yesrs, I still believe in God.</p><p>I have no choice in the matter, but I have asked "Why?" so many times, and I am still waiting for an answer.</p><p>If I didn't believe in God, there will never be an answer ...</p><p>And there may never be an answer, but I do believe thst God will answer me, maybe not directly, but God will reply to me.</p><p>I have to believe that."</p><p>Yes, it is a very difficult question to answer, but I think I did it.</p><p>What would be your reply to this question?</p><p>I am sure everyone would have a different answer.</p><p>Just something to think about as we move through another week.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-37878251652279729302024-03-01T03:08:00.000-08:002024-03-01T03:08:40.631-08:00Rant #3,302: Move On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRP8i33wg9I3jWLnfEvqvW2CSf7OQynr1mSmZ7fjRd-SXHwavxoYwN8Iy6CDI8IkPHceWRy3YiRosI9Uh0ahx0YdwNHYpBJ_Qq1pRNjTlFAyYqXF4CENnHN15AXvAUTWSea7Lg646X21CkK-napMOaaD32Funna_XwkUPms2IeIc9js6K6KsxLjZ42FA/s1767/inbound7771610614311608137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1767" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRP8i33wg9I3jWLnfEvqvW2CSf7OQynr1mSmZ7fjRd-SXHwavxoYwN8Iy6CDI8IkPHceWRy3YiRosI9Uh0ahx0YdwNHYpBJ_Qq1pRNjTlFAyYqXF4CENnHN15AXvAUTWSea7Lg646X21CkK-napMOaaD32Funna_XwkUPms2IeIc9js6K6KsxLjZ42FA/s320/inbound7771610614311608137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It took an extra day this year, but we finally got to the month of March after having to go through an extra day of February to get there.</p><p>March has always been an important month in my family, because it was the month my mom was born.</p><p>But with her no longer with us, it has taken a lot of gleam off the month for me ... and when we reach March 11--her actual birthday--it will really hit me that March simply isn't what it used to be.</p><p>Looking ahead to this month, I will continue to have my two-times-a-week physical therapy as I creep closer to normalcy.</p><p>I think I am still at least several weeks away from being given clearance to drive, so March will be a month where I continue to work hard to reach that goal.</p><p>And at mid-month, I have to go back to my doctor/surgeon, who will give me an update of where I am in my rehab and update my physical therapy itinerary and/or expectations.</p><p>Otherwise, I have my work to keep me going. I know I have a meeting to do later in the month, and I also provide them with content during the work week, so I will be plenty busy with all.of that.</p><p>In my increasingly lessened down time, I will continue to digitize my records.</p><p>I just find it very relaxing, and even though my LPs are in storage, I have enough here with me thst I can probably do one record a day and still not reach the end of my 45s collection into my 70s.</p><p>So far, 2024 has gone pretty well for myself and my family, and I have no reason to believe March will be any different than January and February were.</p><p>Maybe a bit quieter, but other than that, it should be just another month for me ...</p><p>Although I do wish my mom was here to enjoy the month--her birth month--with my family and I.</p><p>Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-1887210272519841362024-02-29T02:08:00.000-08:002024-02-29T02:08:41.928-08:00Rant #3,301: Daydream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV2CvTFMVBkir_GMWceRPC8AzzRosN0ix2IiWuYzVcPcO6NFJnlExdiqqocvwrD-BOX5xG31Rmdq-TtSquJFGm9tfefGOE-V8tPtq-nBoNCUCVTj4_LXiUox-l3w-px_AznND031IR3S6eht9rMvYQ-Bz9bsyGqU2RWMu4vyZbG34fmLA0XCWjHSwJSE/s177/inbound3130978759762749027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="177" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV2CvTFMVBkir_GMWceRPC8AzzRosN0ix2IiWuYzVcPcO6NFJnlExdiqqocvwrD-BOX5xG31Rmdq-TtSquJFGm9tfefGOE-V8tPtq-nBoNCUCVTj4_LXiUox-l3w-px_AznND031IR3S6eht9rMvYQ-Bz9bsyGqU2RWMu4vyZbG34fmLA0XCWjHSwJSE/s1600/inbound3130978759762749027.jpg" width="177" /></a></div><br /><p>No, we are not daydreaming or hallucinating.</p><p>It is actually February 29, as 2024 is a leap year, a once every four years occurrence that we last hit in 2020.</p><p>We have leap years to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or the seasonal year.</p><p>2020 was a leap year, too, but the day fell on a Saturday, so I didn't write about the day here in this Blog.</p><p>I went back to 2016, and the day was during the week that year, and I wrote about a myriad of topics that day, including about my broken-down computer and actress Salma Hayek, but I really didn't write about anything specifically related to this leap year day.</p><p>Four years earlier, during the 2012 leap year day, I actually wrote two Blog posts: a regular post and an additional post about the death of Davy Jones.</p><p>So in 2022, not only did we have an extra day on the calendar, but we also registered an extra Blog post that year.</p><p>Today, I guess I could say that this is just another leap year day, but so much has changed in my world, and in the world in general, over the past 12 years or so.</p><p>I won't go into chapter and verse about this, but I really don't think the world is the same as it was a dozen years ago, or heck, the world isn't the same that it was when I came onto this earth in 1957.</p><p>That year was not a leap year--the first leap year thst I experienced was in 1960, and knowing my personal history, at two years old going on three, I was somewhere doing something as a little kid, after two months earlier welcoming my sister to the world.</p><p>But back to Leap Year 2024 ... how are you going to use your extra day to your advantage?</p><p>For me, it is a day that I will go to physical therapy, another day on my road to full recovery.</p><p>So I guess I am using the day to the best of my ability--how about you?</p><p>And yes, I feel for those born on this day, and only can actually celebrate their special day on the exact date of their birth every four yesrs.</p><p>I believe I know one person who was born on that day, and I guess it is difficult, but they manage.</p><p>I am sure their parents were hoping against hope that they would be born on February 28 or on March 1, but it simply didn't happen.</p><p>And just so you know, some people even stretch the month further than February 29.</p><p>There was a rock band in the late 1960s or early 1970s that was known as "The 31st of February."</p><p>They came from Jacksonville, Florida, had a few records, but didn't make it.</p><p>I guess that is what happens when you stretch the month of February to the breaking point.</p><p>It is bad enough that we have an extra day on the calendar every four years on February 29, but to stretch our shortest month beyond that ...</p><p>Nope, nothing good can come of it. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-9887423192991496672024-02-28T03:30:00.000-08:002024-02-28T03:30:53.170-08:00Rant #3,300: You Better You Bet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DK67Jb_fS8F83OJGKEhXEI_He_zr8_dH0AgRGxfBUcLkLSlbNcmGr_5tSMgt1iK-F_FqOP_MLJi9Pelp1aCnPigdvlbN58ABHF2sBZXqtHmgKW4J6K6jWVlhFDTCUPlyPvbKkWrxCqZ9VV2S1BFi0cLuNnIhgVrxomw3tpidHe1jAXREpccoZCDVZDc/s636/inbound6859067549327144163.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="636" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DK67Jb_fS8F83OJGKEhXEI_He_zr8_dH0AgRGxfBUcLkLSlbNcmGr_5tSMgt1iK-F_FqOP_MLJi9Pelp1aCnPigdvlbN58ABHF2sBZXqtHmgKW4J6K6jWVlhFDTCUPlyPvbKkWrxCqZ9VV2S1BFi0cLuNnIhgVrxomw3tpidHe1jAXREpccoZCDVZDc/s320/inbound6859067549327144163.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We finally hit the big 3--3--0--0.</p><p>There was a point in time, just a few months ago, that I thought we would never get to thst number of Rants.</p><p>I was in a real bad way with my injuries, the house was giving everyone nightmares, and I just wasn't into writing anything five days a week because I simply could not find the words to describe what was going on.</p><p>But as I got better--and we got closer to selling the house--I once again felt the need to put it all in writing, and the rest is history.</p><p>I enjoy putting the Rants together, but now that I am getting better, the direction of my Rants have changed.</p><p>When I got hurt, much of what I wrote about revolved sround the pain and confusion I was going through.</p><p>Now, as I am feeling better--both mentally and physically--I have expanded the subjects that I am writing about.</p><p>And that makes me feel good.</p><p>There is no reason for the daily updates on my heath anymore.</p><p>And the house has been sold, so there is no reason to talk about that topic anymore.</p><p>So, as it stands now. I am.pretty much writing about whatever I want to write about--</p><p>And i reserve the right to give you a health update every once in a while, and I can write about the old house if I feel.it is necessary.</p><p>Yesterday, I went to physical therapy--it is really difficult, but I am doing the best that I can--and I picked up.my new lenses at the eye doctor.</p><p>No revelations in either of these.</p><p>My wife takes me where I need to go, and while she is bearing up with the strain, I cannot wait until I am given the OK to drive, as it will release some of the burden off of her shoulders.</p><p>I am still working at my remote editing/writing job, and it keeps me busy and occupied, some days more than others.</p><p>I am doing OK, and this Blog has pretty much reverted back to what it was created for all those years ago: as an outlet for my writing what I want to write about.</p><p>So, 3,300 might just be a number to most of you, but to me, it is more than that.</p><p>It represents another step in my rehab, where I can get back to normal ... somewhat.</p><p>I have a long road to go, but I will get there.</p><p>I have at least 3,300 reasons to believe that.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-37701837081390610022024-02-27T02:33:00.000-08:002024-02-27T02:33:12.781-08:00Rant #3,299: The Letter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQLuvcwxh90SY29m8gkalK6b0_1SC_Ygg62siYB75Uo8_rch120hAqyDmpLqAhJS-URjckasAJ4-2TxO-Adv5mfLfooREQESAhFo3mAOzXmIH1zODg1lDyK-Cm6ybvD5o_9MGtdoliJOIK2wJQLI_vRm90QGDsf244S3U4JR7pcWoIoZ9Jwe7EqJqZ9E/s2048/inbound6174634720401531802.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQLuvcwxh90SY29m8gkalK6b0_1SC_Ygg62siYB75Uo8_rch120hAqyDmpLqAhJS-URjckasAJ4-2TxO-Adv5mfLfooREQESAhFo3mAOzXmIH1zODg1lDyK-Cm6ybvD5o_9MGtdoliJOIK2wJQLI_vRm90QGDsf244S3U4JR7pcWoIoZ9Jwe7EqJqZ9E/s320/inbound6174634720401531802.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I was watching some spring training baseball this weekend and yesterday on television, and after watching baseball intermittently, I have to ask you this:</p><p>Do the new uniforms seem to lessen the size of the information on the back of the uniform tops?</p><p>While players have been grumbling about the sheerness of the uniform pants--claiming that the lightness of the pants have made them virtually see-through--to this viewer, at least, the information on the back of the shirts--the player's name and his number--is what i am looking at, and appears to my eye to be smaller.</p><p>Major league bsseball switched its uniform manufacturer and designer--Fanatics and Nike, tespectively--to streamline the uniforms, making them lighter and more flexible for the players.</p><p>But it seems a lot of the players have complained thst the uniforms are lighter as advertised, but they are also much sheerer.</p><p>It seems thst many players won't wear the new pants, so they are wearing the new tops but are wearing the old bottoms.</p><p>I don't think that baseball will be getting like tennis now--where the outfits of the players--mainly the women--are almost more important than the action, but it bears worth noting.</p><p>On my end, the numbers seem to be smaller, as do the names.</p><p>I have macular degeneration to begin with, so trying to follow who's who by the back of the jerseys is going to be that much more difficult for people like me.</p><p>I guess for some players with shorter names it isn't that big a deal, but in order to squeeze longer names on the jerseys, they just shrunk the entire template.</p><p>And when you are watching spring training games--where most of the players you haven't even heard of to begin with--it just makes it that much more difficult for someone like me.</p><p>But for a guy like the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, well, he is so huge to begin with that you will never miss his name or number 99.</p><p>But what do you do if you are Christian Encarnacion-Strand, the Cincinnati Reds player who now holds the record for longest last name on the back of a major league baseball jersey, with his last name clocking in at 18 letters including the hyphen.</p><p>I guess all you can say is thank goodness they don't put the first names of the players on there too.</p><p>Or the middle names ... Encarnacion-Strand's middle name is, mercifully, Lee.</p><p>L--E--E ... 1--2--3.</p><p>Me, I should have been an MLB player, based on my name if nothing else.</p><p>With just five letters in my last name, my name would have fit perfectly on the back.of the jersey.</p><p>But I would hope they would spell my name correctly.</p><p>I have had my name spelled in so many different ways--Lapha, Lappa, Lapke, Lakka, and so many other ways--if it is wrong, it doesn't matter if the lettering is large or small if it isn't correct.</p><p>Yes, I obviously missed my calling.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-19636465246695272612024-02-26T03:12:00.000-08:002024-02-26T03:12:03.281-08:00Rant #3,298: Another One Bites the Dust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90ULUEjq37wPk80Ff5SoFN_KTrW1nT4BPv2dGmPat58VnqDCSjTMuOXrWP3gEkK8uGCfCF_CCK75HTNpvnYbD_k62H8f-7Z8_hQFp6L-sL6ZJSPqwDzACcX4O1K8kgK8hDxSKmekhDIhhIFyJOe8jMEOplm1PVrqjTrqm-4ua21K0hYjwWKwdB0N-FCs/s398/inbound2483970665533696941.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="398" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90ULUEjq37wPk80Ff5SoFN_KTrW1nT4BPv2dGmPat58VnqDCSjTMuOXrWP3gEkK8uGCfCF_CCK75HTNpvnYbD_k62H8f-7Z8_hQFp6L-sL6ZJSPqwDzACcX4O1K8kgK8hDxSKmekhDIhhIFyJOe8jMEOplm1PVrqjTrqm-4ua21K0hYjwWKwdB0N-FCs/s320/inbound2483970665533696941.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I had a good weekend as I progress with my rehab.</p><p>Baseball began. I watched a lot of professional wrestling with my son, and we entertained for the first time since we moved to our new residence.</p><p>On Friday, I found out that a takeout food mainstay of my family was no more ... at least in my neck of the woods, but evidently beyond that.</p><p>Boston Market is now officially out of business on Long Island, as the Bethpage store was shuttered after all the other ones were closed.</p><p>Although I am not a chicken eater, I used to go to this eatery for my wife and my mom, and I have to say, they had the best creamed spinach around.</p><p>I knew something was afoot six months or so ago, when I went in there for a chicken meal for my wife ... and they had absolutely no chicken--nothing was on the spits, and I mean NOTHING.</p><p>Evidently, the chain went bye bye because they weren't paying their workers nor the suppliers they used to get their food, including, I would assume, their chicken.</p><p>Others have written to me to say that Boston Market is shuttered in their areas, too, so is the chain gone like Wetson's, or is it still around?</p><p>In early January, for some unknown reason. I received an email about new investment opportunities being made available for the chain. </p><p>But maybe that was a last gasp.</p><p>The last couple of times I went to the one in Bethpage, the place was not as it had been, and their food wasn't that good, according to my wife.</p><p>They had cut down on their sides, and the chicken was tough.</p><p>And yes, I did not make up the absolute fact that one time I went in there and they were chicken-less.</p><p>Look, they were an alternative to the usual hamburger joints, a place that you could actually sit down and have a meal, with real.plates and utensils.</p><p>I used it for take out, and st one time, their turkey sandwich wasn't bad, and like I said, the cream of spinach thst they offered was really good.</p><p>But like what happened to many businesses, things took a turn for the worst when COVID hit, and they never really recovered.</p><p>I think people realized that you could get better rotisserie chicken at your local supermarket, at a cheaper price, than you could at your local Boston Market.</p><p>And as people found that out, the chain's offerings simply deteriorated ... and you know the chain is in trouble when they begin using unbranded packaging to put their wares in when using them for takeout.</p><p>I remember writing to the company about my no-chicken experience.</p><p>They wrote back to me a letter that was totally unapologetic, saying very matter of factly that they experienced supply chain issues ... and told me to come back another day.</p><p>Well, now I not only can't come back, but I guess because of my injury, I missed their funeral.</p><p>Boston Market, R.I.P.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-43728759026570585742024-02-23T03:28:00.000-08:002024-02-23T03:28:29.103-08:00Rant #3,297: Summertime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNpx0tufbG55qMnHnBBpUBej-AXyLdQPDVxvj9oLxnB76Mx2x0we3zi9RjjZLI1R0pRkyQQS0jk8q2RRJNA6l2Uc1LJKxtYLP8V8Ze8_iv8QUfIbtFmFJaNdnOCRmbnZ1r4pahuw613orRNMIH6C_Ij4irPQGcq3Yy6V28rTSrLs5605kI6K7mE32pvc/s1536/inbound8509955614692440750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1536" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNpx0tufbG55qMnHnBBpUBej-AXyLdQPDVxvj9oLxnB76Mx2x0we3zi9RjjZLI1R0pRkyQQS0jk8q2RRJNA6l2Uc1LJKxtYLP8V8Ze8_iv8QUfIbtFmFJaNdnOCRmbnZ1r4pahuw613orRNMIH6C_Ij4irPQGcq3Yy6V28rTSrLs5605kI6K7mE32pvc/s320/inbound8509955614692440750.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It is February 23, there is still snow on the ground, and all I have going through my head is ...</p><p>BASEBALL ...</p><p>BASEBALL ...</p><p>And more BASEBALL.</p><p>I am still wearing my brace and still can't walk without some assistance, and yet, I am thinking about our national pastime.</p><p>Teams have assembled in Florida and Arizona in spring training--even though the season of spring doesn't actually come for about a month--and this weekend, the New York teams are going to have some of their earliest spring games televised.</p><p>These games don't count at all--except for those players working on things and/or trying to make their respective teams--but to me, it means that my favorite sport's 2024 regular season is right around the bend.</p><p>And even though I have suddenly become increasingly busy--mainly due to physical therapy and my increased mobility--I hope to actually watch some of these games, and dovetail right into the regular season.</p><p>I have loved baseball as far back as I can remember, and to me, not only does it represent my favorite sport, it also signifies the coming of summer ... warmer weather and all that goes along with it.</p><p>I wasn't a very good player as a kid, but when I played as a kid, I just loved it.</p><p>I got that from my father, who loved the game, was my coach, and influenced me to become a New York Yankees fan.</p><p>Maybe I loved getting dirty, but when we had a game, I couldn't wait to get to the field and get the game going.</p><p>I tried to bring that excitement to my son as his coach when he played Little League, and even though he was like me, not the greatest player, he played for seven years, so maybe he got what I was trying to impart to him.</p><p>Baseball is the only major game without a time clock, and to me, every game is at least nine innings of fun and excitement, whether it takes two hours, three hours, or more.</p><p>Some games are better than others, the game has been refined to its detriment--that "ghost runner" thing in extra innings has got to go--but the game is the game, and it keeps on going with new stars being created each and every year.</p><p>I know, people knock bsseball for being too slow, and the four-to-seven game Workd Series will never have the almost unhealthy magnetism that the single-game Super Bowl has--but baseball is the most nuanced of the four major team sports, and the day-in, day-out 162 games in 180 days is a marvel of team sports each and every year.</p><p>Sure, the spring training games are often time to take a snooze, but for me, what they portend, both on the field and in general, is just so exciting to me--and might be even more exciting to me as I sit here with this bum left leg.</p><p>No, I will never be able to run out on the field again and play a game, but baseball to me represents the youthful vim and vigor I once had, when I would play all day and all night if I could.</p><p>No, I can't do that anymore--bum leg or no bum leg--but watching these games makes me young again, and makes me believe, once again, that anything is possible.</p><p>And that is baseball, plain and simple, and no other sport brings you back to.your younger, carefree days like baseball does.</p><p>Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-74550812084302472042024-02-22T03:17:00.000-08:002024-02-22T03:37:38.306-08:00Rant #3,296: You Got the Wrong Guy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivjfGxY4PESqx6SoMmzUKKybTkceOzfdZz5q9HVr3-hzKi0J2DOBeKjga1ZkEidTpnQ1t1zNm9FttzveJIwK8VnOb5GI5rN6exYAfRA1Bmf1OlhGyh70REfdvdS6tQvb4HsG6xR-F-Cpg1uR-os6FRUKz1DXHrhx2TLixHVLuljvDTmNXA5rao8TZUGk/s600/inbound4017271592774967944.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivjfGxY4PESqx6SoMmzUKKybTkceOzfdZz5q9HVr3-hzKi0J2DOBeKjga1ZkEidTpnQ1t1zNm9FttzveJIwK8VnOb5GI5rN6exYAfRA1Bmf1OlhGyh70REfdvdS6tQvb4HsG6xR-F-Cpg1uR-os6FRUKz1DXHrhx2TLixHVLuljvDTmNXA5rao8TZUGk/s320/inbound4017271592774967944.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The nightmare continues ...</p><p>Bet you didn't think you would ever hear that phrase again from me, but it has reared its ugly head again, related to my mother and our former residence.</p><p>I received a letter in the mail yesterday related to medical equipment thst we rented during her final weeks of being alive, including a wheelchair and oxygen equipment.</p><p>When she passed away on September 5, my sister and I made numerous calls to a variety of entities to alert them of her death.</p><p>We also contacted the entity that oversaw her home hospice care to tell them of her passing, and we contacted the health equipment company to ask them to pick up the equipment we had been renting.</p><p>The equipment was picked up either that day or a day or two later, and that was that--or so we thought.</p><p>Fast forward to yesterday, and I received in the mail a letter from the equipment provider stating that our account needed to be rectified, because they had no record that the equipment was returned.</p><p>They evidently had called my mother's number to get this taken care of, but obviously, we also called the phone company to close down her account and remove her number from any phone listings--and as a side note, that was also tortuous, as it took me three times to finally do this.</p><p>Incredibly, the equipment company did, somehow, find out where my family and I now live, and the letter was addressed to my mother at my new residence.</p><p>So I read over the letter, and I immediately called the equipment company. </p><p>I got someone on the phone with an extremely heavy accent, and I had to tell her several times to speak slowly, because I could not understand a word she was saying.</p><p>Anyway, she told me that she would forward an email to her superiors about my concerns--I was there when the equipment was picked up, although in our move, I don't know where the receipt is--but I told her in no uncertain terms that there was no way that I was going to pay for equipment that had been returned.</p><p>I hung up with her, and I decided to call the provider that oversaw my mother's home hospice care, and after being passed from one person to another, I finally hit the jackpot.</p><p>I spoke to the woman who oversees the group's home hospice care, and lo and behold, she was the one who gave the OK to pick up the equipment, a job which is handled by a third-party provider that the equipment company uses for such tasks.</p><p>She gave me the name of the pickup company, and I thanked her for this information.</p><p>I called the equipment company back, and once again got someone who had a very thick accent--so thick that I thought it was the same person I had originally spoken to.</p><p>I told her thst her company's beef about the equipment is not with me, but with the pickup company that they use, because I now had proof thst the pickup was acknowledged by the home hospice care company.</p><p>The pickup was done, so is it my fault that it was inaccurately recorded, or possibly in this case, not recorded?</p><p>I also told the woman on the phone thst I want her to follow up the original email that was sent to her superiors with the information I just provided, and I also told her that five months after the fact, her company's actions were completely reprehensible, and if they continue to push this situation with me, rather than the company thst they use to do equipment pickups, I would launch legal action against them.</p><p>Again, this is not the world I was born into. Incompetence seems to be applauded, and as long as I have breath in my body, I am not going to stand for such idiocy.</p><p>And this is retirement? What type of retirement is this?</p><p>I hope my mother is not turning in her grave about this, but if she isn't turning--or even if she is--I am seething about this situation right now.</p><p>This nightmare just doesn't want to end.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-7595314897201448692024-02-21T03:52:00.000-08:002024-02-21T03:52:06.885-08:00Rant #3,295: Which Way is Up?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2UPzrTILQDpNs6DWOaqKaphsgJXqgjQhd4JAiIH2NHxMQavSoQOZXlAQNuRs_7PaZf9PyS-lqCeRO5cWGsB2eIg-jIfW17c1B4-uyyAXdBJA5GDqCZaJdnsZvdm7tyHPZflBUoKwWtLtzJrwP7K6hn5Drcj-QlMMZ_AXR_eSz8WvvYSS3MvBzkM2RmY/s4500/inbound1694640695645424655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2UPzrTILQDpNs6DWOaqKaphsgJXqgjQhd4JAiIH2NHxMQavSoQOZXlAQNuRs_7PaZf9PyS-lqCeRO5cWGsB2eIg-jIfW17c1B4-uyyAXdBJA5GDqCZaJdnsZvdm7tyHPZflBUoKwWtLtzJrwP7K6hn5Drcj-QlMMZ_AXR_eSz8WvvYSS3MvBzkM2RmY/s320/inbound1694640695645424655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I went to the dentist yesterday, but it was my wife who ended up getting the root canal.</p><p>My son and I had our dental appointments back to back, so my wife drove us to the office after our son completed work.</p><p>There is limited parking directly in front of the office, but lots of municipal.parking lots a few steps away on both sides of the street.</p><p>Not finding a space in front of the office, I told my wife to park right around the corner in the closest municipal lot.</p><p>She parked the car, and my wife, our son and i--with my crutches--slowly waked to the office.</p><p>We were both done in record time, and my wife walked to the car so she could pull it in front of the office, which would allow me easier access to the car.</p><p>After about three minutes, I asked my son where his mother was--it should have taken maybe a minute or so for her to get to the car and pull it right in front--amd then she finally pulled up, emerged from the car, and said--</p><p>"I GOT A TICKET!"</p><p>It was a parking ticket, and I was completely amazed </p><p>The dental office and the municipal.psrking lot are both in our old town that we lived in for decades, and I have to tell you, I have parked in thst very lot about 23,674,374 times, and I never had a problem.</p><p>Evidently, with the dawn of the new yesr some 50 or so days ago, things have changed in this lot, and you now need a parking permit to park your car there.</p><p>I certainly had no idea about thos, and I apologized to my wife about telling her to park there, in particular because she wanted to park somewhere else before I directed her there.</p><p>I felt so bad about this thst I gave her money to pay the ticket, plus to pay for some gas.</p><p>To add insult to injury, you can only pay the ticket with a money order or a bank check, and not with a personal check.</p><p>I felt really bad about this entire episode, but as you can imagine, my wife was enraged about it.</p><p>I parked in this lot plenty of times without a second thought, but now, we know that we cannot park there anymore.</p><p>I am upset that it took my wife's bad luck to alert us to this change in parking when we go to the dentist.</p><p>Yup, once again, it's like pulling teeth.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-38092027267806363072024-02-20T03:21:00.000-08:002024-02-20T03:21:07.041-08:00Rant #3,294: Pay To the Piper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4IifNhISDFhOXDRoKZkAFOgsLeaSF-vGaTKnsQ4WtaSoJCMWQgaHCTI0LckFXJozjvkHBIz4fJtzE0YUijhIgl4Pdd0NyyUqZAJtNfLmkyOlVpcdQhDkx3MCq7sYEhFiJ50DnKf2VVpJ2A7ymxrepOTzO3zF5D73j-jH_xx6lXsSlC6phxR77-pX1oI/s620/inbound9163193322968183892.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="620" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4IifNhISDFhOXDRoKZkAFOgsLeaSF-vGaTKnsQ4WtaSoJCMWQgaHCTI0LckFXJozjvkHBIz4fJtzE0YUijhIgl4Pdd0NyyUqZAJtNfLmkyOlVpcdQhDkx3MCq7sYEhFiJ50DnKf2VVpJ2A7ymxrepOTzO3zF5D73j-jH_xx6lXsSlC6phxR77-pX1oI/s320/inbound9163193322968183892.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We did our taxes yesterday.</p><p>Hrumph!</p><p>My son did well, but my wife and I did not.</p><p>We once again got burned, because what with me being what amounts to an independent contractor, taxes on what little salary I get must be atoned for, and tax day is the day to do it.</p><p>And then we have Social Security being taxed ... don't get me started.</p><p>I wss hoping against hope that we could take off something for our move to a new residence, but we were told that that type of deduction was done away with several years ago because people abused it, so even though we spent scads of money to relocate, Uncle Sam couldn't help us out.</p><p>At least we were able to.pay the government what we were deemed to owe them right on the spot, so we don't have to think about it.</p><p>What's done is done ... until next year, when pretty much the same thing is going to happen.</p><p>Today, I have the dentist, which should be another test for exactly how I am doing.</p><p>I already canceled once, because I simply was not up to it physically, but since I am so much better, it is time to get this done.</p><p>It's only a cleaning, but sitting in that chair with my leg still not right is not something I am looking forward to, but I will get through it.</p><p>Heck, I hate going to the dentist even when I am 100 percent healthy, but since I am something less than that now, I am simply looking forward to getting it over with.</p><p>Hopefully, they won't find anything, and if they don't, by the next time I have to go to the dentist, I should be much further along in my rehabilitation, so it won't be as bad.</p><p>But right now, let's not put the cart before the horse ... one thing at a time. </p><p>Let me get through today.</p><p>Hopefully, it won't be like pulling teeth.</p><p>Doing our taxes each year is like pulling teeth.</p><p>Going to the dentist, even in my condition, shouldn't be.</p><p>Now, about Social Security being taxed ... .</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-21989688493855690692024-02-19T03:36:00.000-08:002024-02-19T03:36:22.499-08:00Rant #3,293: House of Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzbuv0gceoqz1k3ahG9_FsCpshe1cbNukzLXfHOppKQ_0QicfFtSQSGKClHuSubXJPT6fYxz_Ve2Tg29UVuoKqasTeuoWdVF3GiDJXPfkk-DgUDbD_vyWTaUnSOjoBMFSD3bD5UGT4csKwhZUV0qAdw5iPtJeZhmKTq2tCPiWOmiRdxGanhVgPsQsjbE/s4000/inbound4649857057089316477.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzbuv0gceoqz1k3ahG9_FsCpshe1cbNukzLXfHOppKQ_0QicfFtSQSGKClHuSubXJPT6fYxz_Ve2Tg29UVuoKqasTeuoWdVF3GiDJXPfkk-DgUDbD_vyWTaUnSOjoBMFSD3bD5UGT4csKwhZUV0qAdw5iPtJeZhmKTq2tCPiWOmiRdxGanhVgPsQsjbE/s320/inbound4649857057089316477.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>I just had a pretty inconsequential weekend.</p><p>Weekends seem to be the most difficult part of my rehab, as generally, I have nowhere to go and not much to do.</p><p>This past weekend, I made myself a task: to get all my 45 RPM records into receptacles that I could handle and access without fear of damage to me, or to my collection.</p><p>As you know, they had been placed in drawers in a heavy plastic dresser, and when I went to access them several weeks ago, one of the drawers I opened became detached, and the entire contents of that drawer fell on me, tearing my quad in my left leg for a second time.</p><p>Since that time and through my newest rehab, I had been thinking about how to house, store and access roughly 5,000 singles.My LPs are already in storage--to my chagrin--but if I am going to keep my singles in our new residence, I have to have them stored away safely; safely for both the records and for me, because I certainly do not need a replay of what happened all those weeks ago.</p><p>I thought and thought abd thought some more about what to do, and I even put up my quagmire on a couple of social boards.</p><p>I also did some research, and found thst such receptacles did exist, but at a price that I wasn't willing--or able--to pay.</p><p>In the interim, a couple of professional woodworkers that were recommended to me were contacted, but even though they agreed to work on the project, they all since bowed out of the project by their silence.</p><p>I got frustrated, did some more thinking about this situation, and finally decided that the solution to the problem was standing a couple feet away from me in my bedroom.</p><p>In our old house, I stored my 45s in plastic storage bins that I bought over the years from Target.</p><p>These bins--I ended up having eight of them--are low to the floor--maybe three feet to three and a half feet high off the floor--and with each featuring three drawers, they are sturdy and could hold about 600 some odd singles per unit, or about 200 per drawer.</p><p>When we were forced out of our house, I got rid of all of these receptacles, some of which were falling apart from wear.</p><p>I bought these larger plastic holders to house these 45s, and I guess the rest is history.</p><p>But I did keep one of these smaller units, because not even two of these larger units could hold all my singles.</p><p>Through the pain and distress caused by one of the drawers from these larger receptacles falling on me, that smaller holder still housed about 600 records, with no pain.</p><p>I also used my old end table to my bed to store about 600 singles, so really, I have been knocking myself out trying to figure out how to store the other 3,800 records or so ... but then, it all dawned on me.</p><p>I had a real epiphany of "record" proportions.</p><p>If the singles were successfully stored and accessed for decades from those smaller storage bins in the past, why couldn't I do it again?</p><p>So late last week, I online ordered three of the smaller storage bins from Target, got them to me that evening, and then on Saturday, I began to move everything over from the larger storage dressers to the smaller three-tier bin.</p><p>I finished the first of the moving on Sunday afternoon, and I figure that I needed two more of these bins to complete the full move, and I accomplished that on an otherwise boring Sunday.</p><p>One of the larger receptacles we got rid of, and my wife wants the other one to store clothes and things, so when I finish the project, she will get what she wants.</p><p>Or perhaps we can put that ine in our storage area too.</p><p>You can downplay all of this as akin to nothing more than twiddling my thumbs, but let me tell you, thus was therapeutic to me in so many ways, both mentally and physically, and yes, emotionally too.</p><p>It made me feel good to solve the problem, it filled up weekend time that I wouldn't normally be doing too much else in, and it made me feel useful thst I was doing something to make our new residence more user friendly.</p><p>And that I was even able to do all of this with minimal help demonstrates that I am getting better each and every day.</p><p>I have often told my wife thst it would take us roughly six months to "fully move into" our new dwelling.</p><p>We still have a ways to go--there are some pieces of furniture and some other things we could use to further make our apartment what we want it to be, but we are on our way.</p><p>And my solution to this problem that we had definitely points us in the right direction--</p><p>And points me, personally, in the right direction, too.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-50316335103809051232024-02-16T03:13:00.000-08:002024-02-16T03:33:10.750-08:00Rant #3,292: Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbItqVW5MJjgzg6tlK61J_tfwJOwzhJPbOj7o6E1E_hoveL26p7eN1Nf9QYfG9eVv3AxNXlSWK_nqezf479vgh8vPVv7f8iVtJW7PGDJtV1ybUWlwyySS361YZ5CFyiYzSaJ5OnrYAD5V8U2IxDpFAEKLYzYXUJslmVcvQE6Gn538Ce_1hM2RtZF07nI/s976/inbound2553002389596533083.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbItqVW5MJjgzg6tlK61J_tfwJOwzhJPbOj7o6E1E_hoveL26p7eN1Nf9QYfG9eVv3AxNXlSWK_nqezf479vgh8vPVv7f8iVtJW7PGDJtV1ybUWlwyySS361YZ5CFyiYzSaJ5OnrYAD5V8U2IxDpFAEKLYzYXUJslmVcvQE6Gn538Ce_1hM2RtZF07nI/s320/inbound2553002389596533083.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Today, I go for another round of physical therapy.</p><p>I am getting there, but I know that I have a long way to go.</p><p>Late Wednesday afternoon, I heard, like most of us did, that the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City was marred by gunshots, and that around two dozen people--mostly kids--were hit.</p><p>There was also one fatality, an adult female who was a well-known personality in the community.</p><p>The police--with the help of some of the attendees--have three people in custody, and the reason for the gunfire evidently was nothing more than an argument that broke out within the crowd.</p><p>Guns, guns, guns ... why are weapons being brought to a gathering of upwards of a million people who are simply there to honor their Super Bowl heroes?</p><p>Why did an argument spark the use of gunfire?</p><p>I am sure we will find out plenty during the next few days and weeks about what happened and why it happened, but it appears that crowd control chages are going to be necessary to at least stem some of the violence at sports-related celebrations.</p><p>Adding in this Super Bowl celebration, there has been violence at all the recent sports celebrations, perhaps not at the level of this latest incident, but at an alarming level nonetheless.</p><p>Guns and some of the people in our country simply do not mix, and measures evidently have to be taken to protect us from ourselves.</p><p>I believe the Kansas City Police Department--and all police departments nationwide--must adopt the measures taken by the New York City Police Deosrtment to protect attendees of such New York celebrations as the Thanksgiving Day Parade and New Year's Eve in Times Square.</p><p>Every person looking to attend these events is searched at a variety of checkpoints, cannot carry any bags or umbrellas and cannot leave and come back to the festivities area.</p><p>I think that the NYPD can teach these police departments a thing or two about crowd control, as the high-profile events like Thaksgiving and New Year's Eve have gone relatively peacefully on the highest of high profile stages.</p><p>People know what they are in for when they decide to attend these events, police are all over the place--many of them undercover--and nothing can get by the checkpoints.</p><p>Unfortunately, you just can't get up and go to these events anymore; you have to be fully prepared for the unexpected.</p><p>And in the Kansas City case, those thst pulled the trigger to lead to the death of an innocent woman should, if convicted, get the death penalty.</p><p>Why not make them an example?</p><p>And as for guns, I do believe.that probably nine out of 10 gun owners in our country know what they are doing as a gun owner, but thst one imbecile who doesn't is, unfortunately, going to ruin it for the others.</p><p>We need harsher and more restrictive gun laws for everyone, and we need these laws NOW.</p><p>You can hem and haw about your right to own and carry a legal weapon, but like when you were in school, the one dummy who says something when the teavher says not to, and gets the entire class in trouble, is going to have to apply with guns too.</p><p>You have one idiot, and that idiot is going to have to spoil it for everyone because of his or her actions.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Kansas City situation proved once again that this is not a cartoon, and guns do kill when in the wrong hands.</p><p>And if there are extra restrictions put on legal, law abiding gun owners, well, thst is just too bad.</p><p>Right now, there is just one fatality reported in Kansas City, but that is simply one too many.</p><p>And as an aside, what do the sports leagues have to say about this situation and the situations that have marred all the respective leagues' victory celebrations?</p><p>Have a great, safe weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-45974700502779279272024-02-15T03:00:00.000-08:002024-02-15T03:00:29.110-08:00Rant #3,291: Back Up On My Feet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbpUldLPSK4gAwVdDHUsZHEUacHWISQLuw9l6OBL38ciAbW8aU7tEcIgNU7XqLWJjPgaGuAloOs7fFYzd4ZgvYMS-3UNcm26qRls5G53ODMKjcTmmf4XbY1EgX2NHxgHjYJrOGiDd6NuefXEHGNPUV5oWJwGWCsMBR_I1f7RrOQXV7ykIKya5U1FgqHQ/s465/inbound6571964817004960941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="465" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbpUldLPSK4gAwVdDHUsZHEUacHWISQLuw9l6OBL38ciAbW8aU7tEcIgNU7XqLWJjPgaGuAloOs7fFYzd4ZgvYMS-3UNcm26qRls5G53ODMKjcTmmf4XbY1EgX2NHxgHjYJrOGiDd6NuefXEHGNPUV5oWJwGWCsMBR_I1f7RrOQXV7ykIKya5U1FgqHQ/s320/inbound6571964817004960941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I was tested for allergies yesterday.</p><p>Oh, I know I have them, but since I haven't had my shots in five months due to my injury, I had to be retested.</p><p>It is just a simple blood test, and I will find out the results next week.</p><p>And every time I go somewhere that I haven't been to in a while, everyone asks me what happened to me, and while I don't go into chapter and verse about my torn quadriceps, I do tell those that ask that I tore it twice.</p><p>I guess it makes for a more interesting story, in particular when I tell them how I did it not once, but twice.</p><p>Hope springs eternal, baseball is in the air, and the summer is right around the corner.</p><p>That makes me all feel good, and it is helping me to heal.</p><p>Physical therapy is difficult--it might actually be the hardest part of this whole ball.of wax--but I am getting there.</p><p>I go twice a week, and Friday is my next time going, and while these sessions are tough, it is tough for my own good.</p><p>I am looking for some other type of receptacle to put the records I took with me to our new residence into that won't nearly kill me. </p><p>A couple of people told me that if I gave them the proper dimensions, they could build something for me, at much less than the $3,500 these things can go for.</p><p>But nothing has materialized, so I was thinking about several different types of units, including bedroom.end tables.</p><p>I am already using one right by my bed for a couple of hundred of my 45s, so maybe a few more might work--as long as they can fit in my closet and be out of sight, according to my wife's wishes.</p><p>But we shall see what we shall see.</p><p>But back to baseball ...</p><p>One of my dreams is to get back to Yankee Stadium and see the Yankees play in the big ballpark in the Bronx.</p><p>This upcoming season, that is probably not going to be possible for obvious reasons, but I have vowed to my family and myself that I will get to Yankee Stadium one day soon.</p><p>Same thing for Madison Square Garden, where I dream of seeing the Knicks in person again.</p><p>Even though I don't sleep very well, I do have dreams, and I hope to one day get back up on my feet and fulfill them.</p><p>And I am writing all.of this as I am looking directly at my bum left leg, and I wonder how this all happened to me, and when it will all be nothing more than a cruel memory for me.</p><p>Dreams are great, reality is better.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861649320459917837.post-36119545717724078442024-02-14T02:42:00.000-08:002024-02-14T02:42:10.582-08:00Rant #3,290: Sign of the Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKay4j0TCyQlSyPWIZVOj1X7RP3v9gYaM5WbebPd_RQOg2lFg59hgVhHI_eyur_J1zEl2gpoTuywqJ2YsEFkUSVgJUnstnhCbAupBj3ayVP0J0htro0SXPc83UN2diOhsCoYBDIuSsiKTFkBnPThe_MrOAWvT6FTvxQZwvHJROsV7yCgH58BXFYuS-9E/s954/inbound6015275703688985630.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="954" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKay4j0TCyQlSyPWIZVOj1X7RP3v9gYaM5WbebPd_RQOg2lFg59hgVhHI_eyur_J1zEl2gpoTuywqJ2YsEFkUSVgJUnstnhCbAupBj3ayVP0J0htro0SXPc83UN2diOhsCoYBDIuSsiKTFkBnPThe_MrOAWvT6FTvxQZwvHJROsV7yCgH58BXFYuS-9E/s320/inbound6015275703688985630.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>First off, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, and I hope all of you are taking care of your loved ones on this special day.</p><p>Second, we finally got some appreciable snow yesterday, so much so that watching out for myself, I canceled an appointment with my doctor because I did not want to take a chance on the snow and ice.</p><p>Third, I have to defend President Biden and former President Trump, because certain quarters of our population are going after them because of their respective ages.</p><p>Each have made recent gaffes with names, and polls are out showing that the American people believe that these two are "too old" to be our president, and that most of those polled hoped that there were younger candidates running for the commander in chief position.</p><p>And all of this is being magnified and propelled by Republican candidate Nikki Haley, who has latched onto the ageism topic because she is so far behind in the race for the White House that this is the one and only thing she has to keep her going.</p><p>Biden and Trump are far from perfect, and neither will get my vote come November.</p><p>It has nothing to do with their ages. It has to do with their policies and their past performance, and lack thereof.</p><p>But to knock them for their ages perpetuates the myth that people of a certain age should be led out to.pature way before their time.</p><p>I am an obvious victim of ageism. After I lost my job right before the pandemic hit, I could not get arrested, and while the jobs were out there for the taking, no one was going to hire someone who was perceived to be over the hill, at age 62.</p><p>Now at age 66, and nearly 67, fuggedaboudit.</p><p>Although Biden and Trump made gaffes referring to names and positions, that doesn't necessarily mean that they have had it.</p><p>Holding their ages up as evidence, rather than their policies, casts a shadow not only against the two of them, but against anyone past a certain age, people like myself, whose faculties are as good, or better, than they were at younger ages.</p><p>To cast a blanket doubt against these two pretty much puts doubt in the minds of younger people about anybody of a certain age.</p><p>If someone is qualified, age really has nothing to do with anything.</p><p>I know 90 year olds who are as sharp as they were when they were in their 30s, and to make a generalization that all of us in our sixties and seventies and beyond are ready for the scrap heap is just so wrong.</p><p>Haley is 52 years of age, and she has often spoken about her parents in glowing terms.</p><p>I would suspect that they are in their eighties--are they ready for the same old age home as she says Biden and Trump are?</p><p>Look, she is hanging by the tip.of her toenails in this race for the presidency, and this ageism thing she is pushing might just give her enough of a push that she will run against the two as an independent, talking a good game but hanging in there as the "youngest" candidate.</p><p>Ageism is the most difficult charge to prove in the workplace, but it is now at the forefront of the presidential race.</p><p>If it is against the law in the workplace, why is it being accepted in the presidential race?</p><p>It is wrong whenever it comes up, and honestly, Haley should know better.</p><p>Desperate people do desperate things, and bringing up the age of people destroying you in the polls is really kind of bush league, isn't it now?</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0