Rant #3,631: Life In a Northern Town

I have an extremely busy day today.

Not only do I have to take my son back and forth to work--remember, he is still "somewhat" employed, for a big four hours a week--but I have an afternoon conference to cover for my own work.

This type of conference kills my day, and kills a good chunk of the next day too.

And we are supposedly going to get some snow/sleet/rain today, so the whole day is a bit of a mess for me--

And the mess might stretch into Friday.

That being said, unless I can get this thing done today, I will have to skip my Friday Rant; I simply won't have the time to do one.

So to round out today's brief Rant, I figured I would post another chapter of my novel.

I hope you are enjoying these posts--it is a slow drip, but please, just go with it as it is.

So unless there is a miracle, this will be my final post of the week.

And as I always say--

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

18

Abraham Lincoln Panim thought about his future quite a bit during the next several weeks. He also went for walks at night, every night, in hopes of meeting up with the girl he had met running during the evening.

He went on these walks many times without his mother, who was busy with school affairs for a few weeks and came home late and exhausted.

And since he was hoping to meet the girl who was running each night, he was kind of happy that his mother was too busy with schoolwork to accompany him. He was a little embarrassed, and he didn’t want his mother to know.

Abraham Lincoln Panim met with the girl just about every night for the next few weeks or so, as she ran every night, and he could pretty much figure out when she would stop for a rest, at the same place and time each and every night.

“How are you doing tonight?” he asked her as she took her regular break during one of those nights.

“I am doing fine,” she replied. “How are you doing?”

“I am OK,” he replied. “It seems to be a little cool outside tonight, and it looks like we are getting a lot of clouds up in the sky. Maybe we are going to get rain.”

“I think we are going to get rain too. I can’t see them, but my bones ache a little bit more when I am running when the weather is like it is, and my pal here”—pointing to her dog—“he kind of gets a little more steady when he is running with me. He doesn’t want me to stumble and fall.”

Abraham Lincoln Panim nodded approval, even though he realized that the girl could not see him.

“Well, look, since I think it is going to rain, I better get moving,” the girl said to Abraham Lincoln Panim. “I guess I will see you around.”

As she got up and started to run, Abraham Lincoln Panim remembered that he had wanted to ask her name, but as she ran away, he decided to put off the formal introduction for another night, something he had done since he met her. He had never had the nerve to ask her name, and she never asked him for his name.

As he got up from the bench, he once again saw what he thought was an older woman sitting a few benches down from him. When he started to walk home, he turned to see the woman again, but once again, she was not there. He didn’t think much of it, and went home.

As for the girl, he thought, “Another night won’t matter much,” he thought, and he headed home in the darkness as raindrops began to fall from the moonlit sky.

Rant #3,630: The Hardest Part

Nothing much to report about my son's job status.

I contacted Access VR, one of the organizations which supposedly helps people like my son, as I was told to call them yesterday to find out if his paperwork was processed.

He had been with them when we lived in Nassau County, but now, it's like we never were with them, as we have to re-up with them.

I called the number I was given, and it is a fax number.

I did get another number later and called them again, but all I could do was leave a message.

Par for the course.

Me, I went out to the supermarket, just to keep busy.

I try not to sit in front of the TV, and there isn't much on, anyway.

This Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, and sorry, I won't be watching.

I have absolutely no interest, and really, the only thing that the game means to me is that we are one day closer to baseball season.

So don't ask me about who I want to win, because I really don't care--and I believe that the reason most people care is due to betting on the game--does anyone even really care who wins, from a sports standpoint only?

Probably some, but let's be honest about it, most people are more worried about their boxes than anything else.

Now, what I am going to while away the time is another matter.

I will probably cast a movie to the TV, or at least watch something--anything--other than the game.

I love TV, but after being chained to the bed for six months, I got my fill of TV, and I swore that once I got better, I wouldn't plant myself in front of the TV, a promise to myself that I have pretty much kept since I have been up and about.

Keeping my son active through his job malaise is another challenge.

Him sitting on front of the TV a good part of the day is heartbreaking, but I have to look at it as every day, we are one day closer to him getting a job.

I have to think that ... and I have to have him thinking that, too.

And that is, truly, the hardest part.

Rant #3,629: Getting Closer

I was on and off the phone all day yesterday related to my son's work situation.

He has an interview next week at one of the town's job help offices. 

Again, we live in Suffolk County, not Nassau, but this office covers our zip code--which is mainly a Nassau code--so they said they might be able to help him.

We finally received all of our tax material--in spite of 1) My son's work sending it to our old address, but somehow, the postal service sent it to our current address; 2) I had to ask my work to send it to me, they said it was coming in the mail, and then, miraculously, it was sent via email to me.

I made an appointment with the tax preparer, so in two weeks, we will do our taxes, and while I know we are going to get destroyed, at least I know when the destruction will take place.

And talking about destruction, next Monday I have to bring my car in for an oil change, and as I was told the last time I had this work done, I need brakes, so thus service will cost me a pretty penny.

And my daughter texted me, and we are supposed to speak today, so who knows what wonders that will yield?

Yes, February can't end soon enough, so I am happy that it is the shortest month, a day shorter than last year's leap year.

I need a laugh right now ...

And I got one in yesterday's mail.

For Hanukkah, my wife and son bought me eBay gift cards, with which I purchased several 45s, stuff thst I wouldn't purchase with my own money.

So yesterday, I received my next-to-last delivery, and it was actually among the first I used the gift cards on.

I don't know why it took do long to get here, but it is finally here!

"Because of Black Tooth"/"Soupy's Theme" is by Soupy Sales, of course, and I had actually ordered this many months ago, but the seller discovered that the record was cracked, so he refunded my money.

Now, with a new seller, I ordered this again, and it is just so much fun to listen to this single, 63 years after the fact.

What a fun record, and listening to it was a nice way to finish out what was a very busy day.

Listen to it below. If this record doesn't bearing back memories to those of a certain age, I don't know what will.

Heck, I will do "The Mouse" or even "The Soupy Shuffle" if my son can just find another job!

https://youtu.be/P3Cgo2inh_I?si=5T5EyIdFh2aI1nsS

Rant #3,628: Mirage

I really needed a weekend like I had this past Saturday and Sunday.

After an extremely busy week--what with conferences and taking my son around to get a new job--I was pooped by Friday.

Other than taking my son to basketball and bowling, and on Sunday to a friend, I could just relax on the weekend--

To a point.

My son continues to look for a job, and we did something a little out of the box this weekend, and we took a chance by posting a "Situation Wanted" ad in Newsday.

It is in the classified section of the Sunday newspaper.

We got NO calls from this ad. Nothing.

Please, if anyone can help him, let me know.

Quite honestly, I am rapidly running out of ideas and places to apply.

It is very disheartening. 

We have been told by several people that he has a great resume, but no one will hire him.

The organizations set up to help people like him find jobs are virtually useless, as they always have been with him.

And we have been on a couple of wild goose chases. All these do is waste time, and really, my son's time is too valuable to waste going about town for nothing.

He really needs someone to help him get his foot in the door, and since we don't know of anyone who can do this for him, it leads us to a "Situation Wanted" ad, which costs money and as of yet, didn't lead anywhere.

And then we have my daughter, who has seemingly abandoned myself, her brother, and this side of the family.

I cannot contact her via text or phone call, as she seemingly has shut her phone off, purposely because she simply wants nothing to do with me, and with us.

Heaven knows why, because I certainly don't.

She will get hers one way or the other, but to treat myself and this side of the family like she does--by making believe we don't exist--is like a kick in the pants to me, but like I said, she will get hers, somewhere down the line.

So yes, I had a nothing weekend this past Saturday and Sunday, but it really wasn't ... there is just so much to do, and so little time to do it in.

And it all picks up again today.

Rant #3,627: Short Shorts

This might very well be the shortest Rant of all time.

Yesterday was a complete disaster for me, as I literally worked all day--and I do mean all day--and into the evening to get out my coverage of that meeting I told you about.

Four-thousand words and counting.

I didn't even finish doing all that I needed to do, even though I was chained to the computer morning, noon and night.

Last night, I was so wound up that I couldn't sleep--three hours in dreamland, three hours wide awake, three hours back sleeping--so I woke up late today.

I still have work to catch up on, which I will do today, in between everything else I need to do, which is a lot.

THIS IS NOT RETIREMENT, but then again, I simply cannot fully retire.

I am getting more envious by the day of those who can simply say, "I have had enough!" and are able to retire on their own terms.

I wish I could, I really do, but I can never retire.

We have some money here, but it is not nearly enough to retire on.

And with taxes and my car probably needing brakes--coupled with some other big checks I have to write in February--retirement, the full kind, is off the table.

I mean, it isn't even a figment of my imagination as I work myself into the ground.

Wish my son luck with his Situation Wanted ad in the local Sunday newspaper.

He needs all the luck in the world to get a new job.

He is in the middle of his life work cycle, I am at what should be the end, and I don't want him to end up like me when he gets to be my age.

He should be able to retire, like any normal person should, on his own terms.

But let's not put the cart before the horse.

Maybe the ad will work, because I am out of ideas.

And you have a good weekend, and I will speak to.you again on Monday.

SHEESH!

Rant #3,626: Ups and Downs

Yesterday went fairly well ... I guess ... or at least I initially thought it did.

I took my son to an organization that could possibly help him find a job.

We went there because I tried to fill out the application form at home six times, on several different devices, and it would not accept the application.

Sometimes, you have to listen to that part of you that after failing six times, says maybe this just isn't worth it.

Well, I am so full flung into getting my son a job, that I just didn't.

We got there, made out the application in the office, and it still wouldn't take ... until a supervisor came over, punched in a few keystrokes, and it finally went through.

Then we were told thst we needed to provide various documentation to confirm that my son qualifies for the program.

I could have already brought over the documentation if I would have known about it, which would have saved time, but that is not how this place works--

We were told that we would get a call back from them in three to five business days, and we will have to go back there and bring them all of this documentation.

Why is everything so convoluted?

But the best was yet to come.

We received a call at a minute or two before 5 p.m. telling me that people in their specific town get precedence in placement services, and since we don't live in that town, that we should go somewhere else for these services--we have tried to do this in our neck of the woods with someone this organization provided us before we went to this office yesterday, but no one returns our calls.

Another dead end.

Welcome to a world that I was not born into.

This world has been cockeyed since the pandemic, and it shows no signs of abating.

On a "happier" note:

Today, I have a conference to cover, which kills my entire day, so I am going to cut short today's Rant.

But I will include the latest chapter of my novel for you to peruse.

How am I doing?

Please let me know.

I need some positive vibes, but more importantly, my son needs them more than I do.

Thanks again.

17

Abraham Lincoln Panim and Mrs. Panim made sure Mrs. Stottle had a proper burial at a local cemetery, and even had a custom headstone made for her.

It read:

“To a saint of a woman.

A true educator, teacher, companion and friend.

Do unto others as you would have the do unto you … treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself.”

The Panims had lost a true friend, and after a period of mourning, it was time to move on. Mrs. Stottle would have wanted them to do just that.

Mrs. Panim went back to school, but it was now time for Abraham Lincoln Panim to decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, and do it without the guidance of Mrs. Stottle, the one friend he had in all the world.

He looked through the want ads in the local newspaper, but always thought that nobody would hire him because of his rat face. He couldn’t keep his scarf on indefinitely, and one day, whoever hired him would find out, and he wouldn’t last very long at any job because of that rat face and the embarrassment it would cause for him.

One day, during their evening walk, Mrs. Panim asked Abraham Lincoln Panim about his future.

“So, what do you think you would like to do with your life?” she asked. “I know you have been looking at the want ads in the newspaper.”

“Yes, I have,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said. “But once they find out about me, who is going to hire me? And if they hire me, once they find out, I will be shown the door.”

“Maybe I can help you,” Mrs. Panim said to her son. “Let me make some calls, do some work on it. Give me a few days.”

Mrs. Panim was tired that particular evening, and she proceeded to go back to the house, but Abraham Lincoln Panim decided to continue his walk, as in the corner of his eye, he had seen someone nearby who interested him.

A long and lean girl with long blond hair had passed him any amount of times while on his late walk, and this time, he saw her sit down on a bench. He also saw her trusty dog with her, a dog which always seemed to accompany her when she did her running.

As she was already sitting, and it wasn’t very far away, Abraham Lincoln Panim approached the bench and sat down at the other end of it.

“Nice night out here,” he said to the girl, hoping against hope that she would reply.

“Yes, it is beautiful out here, perfect for me and my friend here to do our running,” the girl replied, but she did not look at Abraham Lincoln Panim when they spoke.

Abraham Lincoln Panim saw that the girl never looked at him as they continued to converse, and he asked about her dog.

“It is a seeing eye dog. He helps me to see,” the girl said, and it finally dawned on Abraham Lincoln Panim that the girl could not see, and was blind, and was the same girl that he had met when he went to school, and that she was friendly with Brandon Hartung.

“He helps me to maneuver around here, and not bump into anything or anybody,” she told Abraham Lincoln Panim.

“You mean, you can’t see anything?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know that she was blind.

“No, I can’t. I never have been able to see anything, and little Snuff here helps me out, helps me get from one place to another.”

The dog than nudged the girl as Abraham Lincoln Panim moved his scarf a little bit away from his face.

“You know, I kind of know you from school,” he said to her. “I met you on the line the first day, we were on the line together--”

“Yes, I thought your voice sounded familiar,” the girl said as she got up from the bench.

“Ooh, it is time for me to run a little more, and then I have to go back home.”

As she began to run, she said, “Nice meeting you, again,” and began to run with her dog seemingly leading the way.

“What’s your name?” Abraham Lincoln Panim asked, but she was too far away and did not respond.

Abraham Lincoln Panim continued to sit on the park bench for a few minutes as people moved about. He wasn’t the only one taking it easy on one of the benches, as he saw a few benches down, out of the corner of his eye, that there was what he thought was an older woman sitting, too.

He got up from the bench, instinctively looked a few benches down, but the woman was gone, almost as quickly as he had seen her.

Abraham Lincoln Panim went home after that, and he had a lot on his mind.

Mrs. Stottle was still on his mind, and what about his future?

And what about the girl. Would he see her again?

Rant #3,625: Tuesday Afternoon After a Manic Monday, and Then Onto Wednesday Week

Yesterday was a good, slow day for me.

After a busy day of my son's job interviews on Monday, I decided that Tuesday would be a good day to just do what I had to do and that was about it, and thst is exactly what I did.

I did a little food shopping, helped my son apply for a few jobs online--a waste of time as far as I am concerned, but that is how these firms do it--and I also placed a "Situation Wanted" ad in the local newspaper, and is set to run this coming Sunday--

And it ain't cheap. So i hope we get a few responses.

And, of course, I had my own work to do.

I chose Tuesday to do all of this, as today and tomorrow are super busy.

Today, I am going with my son to an organization that helps the handicapped find employment.

Although the office is right here on Long Island, getting there is a big schlep, and I am sure we will be there for a while, so the day will be shot by the time we are done there.

And on Thursday, I have a conference to cover for work, and that kills the day altogether.

It is the first of back-to-back Thursday conferences I have to cover--there is another one scheduled for next Thursday--so my Thursdays are completely shot for the next two weeks.

I will need this coming Friday and next Friday to chill out, and I guess I will have to do that while my wife and I do our big food shopping on those days, followed by my son's basketball league on Friday nights, his bowling league on Saturday morning, and who knows what else?

And yes, my wife went back to work, so like me, while she isn't yet 100 percent, we both need to make some money and do our work.

Again, what is retirement? She is officially retired but I am not--I guess you could say i am "semi-retired"--but whatever it is, it is not what I envisioned when I was younger.

Although I would like to really slow down, I just can't, as I am being pulled every which way for everything.

I have always multi-tasked, but I know I should not be doing this at this level at this point in my life.

But what's a poor boy to do?

Just roll with the flow ... and if our son can find a job, it will make things that much easier for myself, my wife and most importantly, for him.

But in the meantime, today is a time to rev up the motors again, and to hope that that motor remains as strong as ever.

It shouldn't be this way ...

But it is what it is.

Rant #3,624: Cream of the Crop

I am feeling a bit better, but I am not there yet.

I drove my son to his two job interviews; nothing yet, but at least he is speaking to people, and maybe something is forthcoming.

Maybe not, but at least he is being kept active.

During the past few days, with me not being in tip-top shape, I have reached to the past to keep myself busy and to keep my spirits up.

One thing that I rediscovered--in a great new way--is the egg cream, a truly New York/Jewish thing that everyone can enjoy.

I remember my grandfather taking me around the corner on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn as a little kid to the sweet shop there.

It was very traditional, with the counter and the swivel chairs.

We would order egg creams, and it was like five minutes of heaven as you drank this down to the bottom.

Flash forward to now ... I don't know what possessed me to even think about an egg cream at this period in time, but honestly, I hadn't had one in decades, so the idea floated through my mind ... why not make one of my own?

For the uninformed, don't worry about the price of eggs when you make this, because no eggs go into an egg cream.

All that you need are the right measurements of milk, chocolate syrup and seltzer, and you have an egg cream.

But the real way to make it is to use the right amount of whole milk, original U-Bet Chocolate Syrup, and seltzer that comes out of those infamous bottles, where you squeeze the lever down and it shoots out into the glass (or if you are one of the Three Stooges, into.your face).

Well, I have not had whole milk in the house in years, with skim milk my go-to milk beverage.

I love U-Bet, but I can't have the real thing anymore, just the sugar-free kind.

(And yes, the syrup MUST BE U-Bet. You are cheating yourself if you use anything else.)

And for seltzer, I have to settle for whst Poland Spring offers.

So I figured I could use those ingredients to make myself an egg cream for the modern age.

I got the right glass--it has to be contouring out at the top; think of it as a glass with an hourglass figure.

There is some debate about whether you put the milk or the syrup in first. I chose to put the syrup in first, then the milk, but both must follow the "two-finger" principle: just two finger lengths as the amount for each one in the glass, so we are talking about maybe less than an inch of either one in the glass.

Do not mix the two ingredients together yet!

Then, finally, get a new bottle of Poland Spring Seltzer. Open it up, and pour it in the glass as high as it will go. Do not worry about spillage.

After you pour in the seltzer, then start mixing with a long spoon, and there you have it!

(And don't forget to clean up the mess you've made!)

I was skeptical whether my egg cream would taste that good, or if it was even drinkable, but let me tell you, it really is pretty good!

And the thing about a good egg cream is that it goes down smoothly, and my 2025 version of this delicacy does just that.

I don't use a straw to drink it, but you can. And I do remember some places gave you a pretzel with it, a long pretzel, but I don't need that.

I have vowed that I will have an egg cream every Friday evening, and I will stay to that vow as long as I can find U-Bet Sugar-Free Syrup, which is not very easy to find.

Again, while I was hacking and coughing and blowing my nose, egg creams came to my mind ... I have no idea why, but I am happy thst it did.

Now--

Anyone for skelly?

Rant #3,623: Slow Down

I know, I said I wouldn't be here today, but here I am.

I went to the doctor early, and yes, I have a very bad cold, not bronchitis like I originally thought.

I have some pills to take, some cough medicine, too, and I will be OK, but the doctor told me to "slow down" and take it easy over the next few days.

It is going to be tough to do this.

Today's schedule is a good example.

As you know, I have been helping my son look for a new job, and this task is long, hard and very frustrating.

He had one interview scheduled for today canceled without any explanation--

But it was quickly replaced by two new interviews for today, both later in the day and into the early evening.

With everything else I have to do, there isn't much time for rest and relaxation.

But I do have to settle down.

I actually slept well on Saturday and Sunday nights, assisted by the cough medicine, which seemed to eliminate the constant wheezing I had experienced.

And that was after i had a few short naps.

I did not venture outside at all on Sunday, nor did I shave on Sunday as I normally do.

I just wasn't in the mood, so I will give my face a rest.

I am just trying to listen to what the doctor said.

I do feel fatigued.

I don't want this to get any worse than it is, so I am going to cut this Rant a little short today.

I have a conference to cover on Thursday, and I continue to help my son look for work.

I wish I could fully relax, but it isn't in the cards for me.

And I am going to say this again:

This is retirement?

What is retirement?

I haven't the slightest idea, but it can't be what I have experienced for the past five-plus years.

It just can't be ...

Can it?

Rant #3,622: Fire

I have been burning the candle at both ends, and now, I am paying for it.

Helping my son with his job search, performing my own job duties, and doing other things for my family has pretty much burnt me out, and for the first time in a while, I am slightly under the weather.

I have a cold--or maybe it is an allergy, or a mix of both--but whatever it is, I got it, and my own wheezing at night is keeping me up when I should be sleeping.

I do feel a bit better than yesterday, so I don't believe this will last too long.

What's more, my wife is also under the weather ... but what she has is a bit worse than what I have, and she took off from work yesterday, and probably won't venture outside much today as she prepares--or hopes--to go to work on Saturday.

Our son is fine, I am getting better by the day, and my wife was better yesterday than she was a day earlier, so we will manage.

It almost reminds me of a few years ago, when my wife got the coronavirus pretty badly, so bad that I didn't spend any time in our bedroom for several days, and I slept on an old Castro Convertible in our third bedroom for more than a week or two.

I, then, supposedly got that bug, and it lasted literally 12 hours, so while I officially got it, I think I was misdiagnosed.

So I ended up not sleeping in our bedroom for nearly a month. Sleeping on that Castro Convertible was like sleeping on a wood board, and I still feel it in my back.

Now, we don't have a third bedroom, so we have to sleep in the same bed.

And by the way, our son never got the coronavirus, and up to this point, he hasn't gotten sick from either of us this time around, thank goodness.

So it goes.

I have a busy week coming up. An early doctor's appointment on Monday--having nothing to do with our recent maladies--and our son has a job interview later in the day on Monday--

Later in the week, I have to cover a conference for work--

And who knows what will transpire with our son's job search?

So, I am going to take Monday off from this perch, be ready to go on Tuesday, and I should be OK for the rest of the week.

I have to rest up ... I can't pack into a day what I used to ...

But I am far from done.

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

Rant #3,621: What I Want

Let me tell you, I am soooooo tired!

It is very tiring helping my son to look for work, but he has gotten a couple of interviews, and has one coming up on Monday.

We have found that like it was five, 10 or more years ago, the organizations set up to help the disabled to find work continue to be useless.

They are slow, their sites don't work that well, and this morning, one organization actually told me that my request was evidently directed to the wrong person, and that person--the woman I spoke to on the phone telling me this--would not assist me in the least ... not telling me exactly who i should speak with, just telling me "to go on the Internet," and I still do not have a clue who I should speak with.

Another organization actually gave me an Internet address related to who I should speak with, and when I contacted that person ... well, I am still waiting to speak to him, as he never called me back.

In the meantime, I filled out their application--twice--and neither time I tried to process the information did the site work.

Wasted at least an hour there.

A waste of time, as was going directly to major stores themselves, which brush us off by telling us to "fill out an application online," which in my day was like potential employers saying "send me a resume."

Useless, as his application will certainly get buried and lost in that abyss ... but I applied anyway.

And they got back to us this morning, saying they have nothing for him.

I have some tricks up my sleeve, but I know that based on my own experience, looking for a job without any connections is completely impossible, and looking for a job as a disabled person is even more difficult.

Since I am so tired, I am going to post the next chapter of my novel today.

At least the main character of my novel knows someone, and was able to get a job through that person--

Oh how I wish that truth would mirror fiction in my son's case!

16

Abraham Lincoln Panim and his mother knew the end was near for Mrs. Stottle when the EMTs carried her out of their house, and later that night, Mrs. Panim received a phone call from the hospital, telling them that Mrs. Stottle had passed away.

The hospital called the Panims because they had tried to locate any family for Mrs. Stottle, and could locate no one. Mrs. Stottle had no family, and Abraham Lincoln Panim and Mrs. Panim were the only “family” she had.

“We have one question for you,” said the hospital worker making the call to Mrs. Panim.

“I will try to answer it if I can,” Mrs. Panim sobbed through her tears.

“Well, it is not really a question, but it is … Look … I don’t know how to say this … I don’t want to be crass, but we are going to have to move the body to a funeral home soon … but please, can you come over here, right now? It is of utmost importance that you do.”

“Well, yes, we have to make arrangements, but it is so late—“

“Please m’am, please come over here as soon as you can.”

Mrs. Panim woke up Abraham Lincoln Panim, who wasn’t really sleeping, but thinking about Mrs. Stottle and praying that she would be OK, even though he knew that she was really sick.

The two of them dressed, and went directly to the hospital. They were shown the room Mrs. Stottle was in, and they approached where the older woman was, in a bed near the room’s one small window.

As they approached, with tears falling down both of their faces, they saw that Mrs. Stottle was covered up by her bed blanket from nearly head to toe.

An attendant came into the room and saw Abraham Lincoln Panim and Mrs., Panim at Mrs. Stottle’s bedside. As the attendant approached, so did a few nurses and doctors, all crowding around the bed.

The attendant said, “Thanks so much for coming here so quickly. I mean, you really needed to come here as quickly as possible.

“Why? Does she have to be moved immediately?” Mrs. Panim asked. “I mean, couldn’t this have waited a little bit? It happened just so suddenly … it is so early in the morning—“

One of the doctors stepped forward.

“No, it had nothing to do with that, It had to do with … I mean, I guess we have some questions … maybe you know something—“

Through his scarf which was over his mouth, Abraham Lincoln Panim said, “Please get to the point. Why were we called and asked to come over so quickly?”

The doctor approached the bed and grabbed the end of the bed sheet covering Mrs. Stottle.

“I … well … .”

He lifted the bed sheet, and exposed Mrs. Stottle’s feet.

To various gasps, Abraham Lincoln Panim and his mother saw the exposed feet, and looked at each other.

What the Panims saw were two hooves, much like a horse’s hooves, protruding from Mrs. Stottle under the bed sheets.

Rant #3,620: Just My Imagination

Two days removed from the inauguration, and my head is still spinning.

I think a lot of that has to do with this being the first inauguration I have ever seen top to bottom on TV.

For the other recent inaugurations, I was working full time, so I couldn't really watch this thing play out, and in 2021, I was so involved in various things at home that I barely had time to notice.

But I sat and watched this one, and I have.to say, it is an incredible event to watch.

So many rows of teeth of the assembled were so tightly gritted together thst I bet dentists in Washington had a field day after the inauguration fixing these teeth.

All kidding aside, it really is an incredible all-day-and-night event, and I am glad that I finally got to see it.

Now the real work begins, with our new president hopefilully doing what he said he was going to do, all for the betterment of our country as a whole.

He got off on the wrong foot when he not only pardoned numerous felons who attacked our capitol, but then made it worse by likening these felons to hostages--saying this with the families of the Isrseli hostages standing right behind him.

This made for an awkward moment, but I guess it all went over the new president's head.

(And yes, I know thst Biden's last-moment pardons were also very questionable, including murderers and those of his own family--the latter of which went through precisely as Trump was taking his oath.)

Look, in all truthfulness, President Trump has a lot on his plate right now, and we should all wish him the best as he plows through all.of these things, all for the betterment of our country.

He has just four years to get things done, and since he can't run again, the onus is on him to get things done, and done quickly.

I hope he succeeds, for our country's common good and betterment.

My son continues to look for a job, and that really and truly is my main focus now.

I don't know if the new president's policies will help, hurt, or have absolutely no impact on my son, but right now, I care more about that than whether multi-billionaire tech giants had front-row seats at the inauguration.

So many people got so upset at this ... did you know that former vice president Kamala Harris was looking st setting up digs in Manhattan in an apartment with a rent of $20,000 per month! And that is on top of still having her home in California.

So the rich are the rich whether they support Trump or not.

Me, I'm just hoping my son can get a minimum wage job.

I guess thst is "chump change" for some people, but to my son, getting a new job would be priceless.

Rant #3,619: So It Goes

The presidential inauguration went off without a hitch, if you don't count the fact that it was a bit late, extending the term of the outgoing president, on a technicality.

Donald Trump is now the 47th president--our commander in chief--and people who remain in denial simply have to get over it.

Just some observations ...

Where was former First Lady Michele Obama at the inauguration?

All of the other former First Ladies were present with their husbands ... where was she?

Absolutely no excuse.

And why was it announced, literally minutes before Trump took the oath, that seemingly the entire Biden family received pardons from their patriarch?

The timing was poor, made the elder Biden look really bad ... and most importantly, they received pardons for crimes that have not been committed or outlined.

It leads me to believe that daddy pardoning son Hunter for some obvious crimes was only the tip of the iceberg, and that the Biden family might be guilty of plenty more things that have yet to come out in the wash.

And why was CBS News' coverage so absolutely biased? They had nothing good to say about Trump, any of the attendees, and was repugnant, no matter what side of the aisle you are on.

No matter what these diversions were, at 12:01 p.m., Donald Trump took the oath of office, preceded by JD Vance taking his oath of office as our new vice president by about two minutes or so. 

So, in effect, in four years, when Trump and Vance pass over their jobs to our new leadership, Vance will have been in his role two minutes longer than Trump.

Interesting, if you think about it, although it is inconsequential, just as much as it is interesting.

Yes, yesterday was an interesting day indeed.

Now, let's see what Trump can do to bring our nation together.

The content of his inauguration speech was pretty much to be expected.

He spoke about the country, himself, and the goal to "make America great again," and you have to hope that he can do that.

He called yesterday, January 25, "Liberation Day," and you have to hope that he delivers on what he said.

Yes, he took some veiled hotshots at his predecessor, but again, did you expect anything different?

He spoke of common sense; let's hope that he practices what he preaches.

He didn't later on, when he equated the Israeli hostages to the January 6 felons in jail, calling these marauders "hostages" on the same level as those held by the terrorist Hamas group since October 2023.

Insulting, at best.

He also said the following, which made much more sense:

"The impossible is what we do best."

Let's continue to do it--

And let's hope by using the word "impossible," he is not talking about himself.

Rant #3,618: The Song Remains the Same

Today is the big day, as Donald Trump takes the oath as our 47th president.

I am hopeful that he will be a good president, and whether you like him or not, that is a hope we should all have.

The Israel-Hamas truce has happily taken effect, and while it isn't perfect, it will have to do for now ... but Israel must fully be on its guard, as remember, Hamas are terrorists, and cannot be trusted in any way, shape or form.

TiKTok is evidently still here, but honestly, I don't use it, never have knowingly gone onto it, and really don't care a smidgen about it.

My son continues to look for a new job, and whether Trump is president or TikTok exists or doesn't exist, his well being is my top priority.

Since last Tuesday, we have been all around town to help him find a job, we have called some agencies, and we have done just about everything we could do to get him another position.

Many retailers are not hiring now--right after the holidays is a slow time--and various organizations who are supposed to help people with disabilities have been ... well ... difficult, I think would be a nice way of saying it.

Moving from Nassau County into Suffolk County hasn't helped matters, and we have to take a pause on contacting these entities today, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a legal holiday, and these offices are closed.

I put up messages that he was looking for a job on a number of social media platforms, because that appears to be the thing to do today.

Well, the results have been mixed.

We have received a lot of good suggestions, but we also saw the negative side of all of this, too.

One respondent on a local message board said she had a job for my son, we quickly responded, and the woman not only hasn't answered us, she has seemingly vanished off the face of the earth.

You don't make promises you can't keep, and if this person would have just been honest with us about the availability of the position, it would have made all of us feel better.

Then we have the spammers ...

My original message was spammed, by somebody offering "nationwide" positions that can be done at home with big money ...

The person who posted this has no conscience, and doesn't care about anything but the amount of money they got paid to post this message about some phony position.

Yes, I reported the person, but the post remains, so I hope that people realize it is spam and just pass it by.

And through it all, my son is resilient.

He took out his anger on the pins in his bowling league this past weekend, rolling a 200 game.

Thst is the way to do it!

So while the world is changing today, my family's world remains the same.

My son will eventually find something, but I realize we are in for a long haul here, and there is very little we can do about it, except to continue what we have been doing.

Wish my son luck ... please, it is something he desperately needs.

Rant #3,617: The End

This might be the shortest Rant of all time.

Israel must OK the latest truce proposal.

I know, they do not trust Hamas--for good reason--and Hamas certainly does not trust them.

I also know that as a democracy, the truce must go through a number of Israeli political channels before it wins approval ... just like what happens here when proposed legislation runs up and down the gauntlet of the Senate and House.

But if you think Israel looks bad on the world stage now--unfairly, very unfairly--if this thing does not go through, Israel will look even worse, even if they have every justification in the world for not agreeing with it.

Let the terrorists demonstrate how truly subhuman they really are--don't tie the noose around their necks, let them do it themselves.

The hostages need this thing to go through, and certainly their families do, too.

Don't let extreme right wingers threaten you ... Bibi, see that this goes through.

Give peace a chance--

Real peace, and if the terrorists feel they are not bound by this agreement, you then have every right to back out.

Don't do it now, when peace is thisclose.

Don't give anybody any reason to paint you as the villain.

You aren't ...

But you will look like one if this truce doesn't go through.

In my heart, I believe it will only be briefly delayed, and it will take hold maybe a day or two after it was originally set for.

I want to believe that; don't let the hostages continue to rot away, and do not disappoint their families.

Time IS NOT on your side.

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

Rant #3,616: is It Really Real?

Just let me say that as far as my son and his job situation, we have done just about everything we could right now to help him with his job search.

It is a waiting game now, and I thank all for their concern.

Onto other matters ...

And now we supposedly have a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

It is interesting to see how the initial coverage of this supposed deal has been handled by the three networks.

I initially watched CBS, and while they did a good job explaining the whys and wherefores of the supposed deal, they tended to focus more on the 47,000 Palestinians who lost their lives during the 15-month war, where NBC gave broader coverage, not only longer in time but more talk about the hostages ... several of whom are American citizens 

And on ABC, the coverage was even longer in time, and even had reporters on the ground in Israel covering what was happening at 8 p.m. Tel Aviv time.

We know that this agreement will roll out in phases ... but let's be honest about it, when you are dealing with terrorists like Hamas, you have to take everything with the proverbial grain of salt.

And as for the Palestinians ... remember, Hamas was voted in as leaders by the Palestinians themselves, so they are not to be trusted either.

The remarkable thing--and something that might not get the acknowledgment that it deserves--is that reports are that the teams of President Biden and Incoming-President Trump actually worked together--with teams from Egypt and Qatar--to get this thing moving.

Two presidents--one outgoing, the other incoming--working together like this is virtually unheard of, and they simply chucked the Democratic and Republican tags to get this done--simply because it was the right thing to do.

(However, Trump later said that the deal would not have gotten done without the participation of his team ... and he is probably right about that.)

What will come next is anyone's guess.

But one thing is for sure--

All the hostages must be released, all the remains of the hostages must be returned to the tamilies for proper burial--

And if not, it is on the heads of the negotiators to rectify this.

Yes, skepticism abounds, because you simply cannot trust terrorists--

PERIOD.

But if this thing plays out, it is clear that Israel has reached its objectives to a point, and that Hamas--or what is left of it--really had no choice but to agree to this ceasefire.

Hamas showed its true colors in this war, as did the world and its continued anti-semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.

If the supposedly civilized world would have gotten together right at the get go to put up a united front against these subhuman terrorists, none of what ensued would have ever happened.

Let's remember that, even as we rejoice on this ceasefire.

And let's continue to--

"Never Forget."

Rant #3,615: Help!

We learned yesterday that my son's job has virtually been eliminated.

He is a part-time worker working four days/16 hours a week, and it has been cut down to one day and four hours.

He is developmentally disabled, and finding another job is going to be difficult at best, as it was difficult finding this one.

My son has been working since he was 15 years of age, and at age 29, he has done a variety of jobs, all part time.

His current position is in an office setting, and I would love for him to continue in an office, where he can learn new skills, but beggars can't be choosers.

Really, if there is a position in Eastern Nassau County or Western Suffolk County, that would be great.

He cannot drive, but I will be his transportation, as I have been.

He has a resume and cover letter. 

Please, if you know of anything, let me know. 

This has hit my family hard, as ironically, we were going to ask his work for an increase in hours; now, just the opposite has happened.

We went through hell getting him this job, and he wouldn't have it if it wasn't for a guardian angel who helped us.

And then the pandemic came, and he lost his job a little after I lost mine, and I spent a huge amount of time looking for both of us.

When the pandemic settled, I went back to his old workplace, and he was rehired.

And if you were thinking like I was, no, they say it has nothing to do with the unemployment rate going up; it has to do with the lack of work that is available to him in his workplace.

I do believe them, but the coincidence is kind of interesting.

Whatever the case, he is heartbroken, my wife and I are upset, and we are back at square one, just like we were a few years ago.

It seems the black cloud over my family just continues its wretched path.We surmount one problem, and before we can take a deep breath, another problem arises.

And I thought 2025 would be a good year ... !

He has worked since age 15, and I just know that he would be a good fit somewhere ...

Where that "somewhere" is, I don't really know.

Can anyone help?

Rant #3,614: No Anchovies Please

I just discovered that this week is National Pizza Week.

I guess you celebrate by getting a pie at your local pizza parlor ... but not at those national chains like Domino's ... which is sacrilege to begin with.

Over the past 60 years, pizza has become our collective national food obsession.

Everyone loves pizza, and the variations are endless. Me, I like mine traditional, or with meatball as the topping.

And you just know that any neighborhood pizza place has to be infinitely better than what you can get at the national places, in particular in the state that is the true home of the best pizza in the United States--

New York.

There is no better pizza than New York pizza, and the crust and the cheese--and the water--make New York City pizza, in particular, the best pizza that there is.

Here on Long Island, the pizza isn't as good as what you can get in the city, but it is, in my estimation, just a notch below what you can get in the five boroughs.

Pizza is sort of like bagels--

You can get them anywhere, but the original ethnicity of these foods make New York the true mecca of both of them.

And the national chains, for each, simply cannot compare with what the local.places put out.

I remember vividly the first time I ever had pizza

It must have been 1962 or so, and my uncle--my mother's brother--took me into Greenwich Village, which, at the time, was one of the few places you could get pizza in New York City.

He bought me my first slice, and that was the beginning of a more than 60-year love affair with pizza.

This infatuation continued during my adolescence, as when we lived in Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, Queens, New York, the first mall had absolutely the best pizza I ever ate, at King George Pizza.

If I remember correctly, you could get two slices and a soda for 75 cents ... and garlic knots were free!

How times have changed ... we found a pretty good pizza place near where we live, and the pizzas there are about $20 apiece!

Sometimes, I make pizza at home, using pre-made Boboli for the crust and putting on top whatever I want.

It is OK in a pinch, but you have to get your pizza from a real pizza parlor to get real pizza.

So happy National Pizza Week to everyone, and I wish that a nice slice of New York pizza finds its way onto your plate sometime this week.

Yes, that's a real slice of life, for sure!

Rant #3,613: I'd Like To Get To Know You (Again)

I was having a conversation with a woman at my son's basketball.league on Friday night, and we were talking about the current state of television.

The last thing she said to me about this was, "There is a lot of garbage on TV right now," and I really couldn't agree with her more.

There are plenty of choices, but personally, I simply cannot get into any of them.

And with so much of what they call "entertainment" literally infested with Hollywood woke nonsense, really, when I want to be entertained, I generally do not like being spoken down to by multimillionaires who think they know better than average Joe's do.

And that goes triple for the movies, which aren't worth the price of admission.

I don't really watch much TV anymore, except for the news shows--local and national--and sports (I have Verizon, so st least right now, I don't have any carriage issues).

So what does a guy like me do when he wants to watch TV and there is literally nothing on to watch?

One of these abysses is during the week at 7:30 p.m., after the news shows are over and right before the abysmal prime-time schedule rears its head.

So what do my wife and I watch at 7:30 p.m. during the week?

We mix old and new into one package by watching the Our Gang/Little Rascals series, from beginning to end.

We started watching the series--which spanned the silent era in the early 1920s to the war era of the early 1940s--and produced about 220 episodes, or short features ranging from 10 minutes to 30 minutes in length.

The series--the brain child of controversial filmmaker Hal Roach--also spawned a few legitimate spinoffs, some not-so-legitimate ones, and really is the bellwether of how children are featured on TV and in the movies.

Yes, the series is very controversial--some of its imagery related to blacks is very questionable--but it was perhaps the first entertainment series to show the races on somewhat equal footing.

Anyway, I found that each of the episodes--including the silent ones--are available all around the Internet, and when we want to watch one of these shorts--which were originally shown in movie theaters but migrated to TV in the early 1950s--I simply cast it to my TV, and we have some legitimate viewing to keep us entertained.

Now before you say, "You must have seen each of these shorts 1,000 times," think again.

First of all, even in the 1950s and 1960s, many of these shorts were sheared of their more controversial elements--believe it or not, not just related to its depiction of blacks, but also of Asians, Jews and the mentally ill--so oftentimes we are seeing these shorts intact for the very first time.

And some were banned entirely from TV, so it's the first time my wife and I have seen these shorts either in decades or ever.

Second, the shorts are pretty much divided into three packages, and viewers pretty much only saw the second package way back when.

The first package featured only the silent episodes--starring Joe Cobb, Mickey Daniels and a few others who migrated to the talkies in the early 1930s--and I know that on New York TV, these were rarely televised.

The second package features the most well- known and televised shorts in the series, featuring Chubby Chaney, Farina Hoskins. Jackie Cooper and Stimey Beard, and later, Spanky McFsrland, Alfalfa Switzer, Buckwheat Thomas, Butch Bond, Porky Lee and Darla Hood.

The third package is the generally highly inferior and rarely shown MGM shorts, initially featuring Spanky, Alfalfa, Butch, Porky, Darla and Buckwheat and later adding Froggy Laughlin and Mickey Gubitosi, aka Robert Blake.

So, as you can see, a major chunk of these shorts have either not been seen by my wife and I or maybe we have seen some of them once or twice.

Anyway, watching these shorts gives us a good, short education each evening on not just Hollywood during those 20 years, but American life in general during those years.

Many are poignant, heartfelt vignettes of the time, others are as full of slapstick as the Three Stooges shorts are, and some of the later ones are morality plays or are firmly geared to the war effort.

And yes, we laugh, we giggle, we often grimace, and we take it all in. I mean, some of these shorts are nearing 100 years old!

(As an aside, I met Spanky about 35 years ago or so, and he was as engaging in person as he was on screen.)

Since we began watching these shorts in December, we are now approaching the end of the series. I have seen the last two episodes in the past, and while they are pretty bad, I look forward to seeing them again.

We need to watch a couple of the silents, and then we can watch the legitimate spinoffs, including "General Spanky," a feature-length film that incredibly, actually stars Buckwheat!

There are a couple of other spinoffs to watch--Hal Roach tried to start the series up again in the late 1940s with two hour-long features with a completely different set of kid characters, and there was also "The Boyfriends," series of short films featuring the early Gang members as teens--and if we really want to stretch it, we can watch the rip-off Mickey McGuire series ... which is godawful, but brought the world Mickey Rooney and Shirley Temple.

And if you think this is all too old hat for you, let me add that right before Christmas, there was a brand new, 400-page biography released on Alfalfa! It is a bit pricey, but when the cost comes down, I will probably get it

So the interest in the series remains as high as it always has been.

Anyway, that is what my wife and I watch each night ... and you can probably hear us laughing wherever you are if you try.

Thus is REAL entertainment, not the trash we are being fed by Hollywood today.

"Chubsy Ubsy" indeed!

Rant #3,612: More, More, More

So President-Elect Donald Trump wants to make Greenland into the country's 51st state--claiming that it is in our best security interests to do so-- even though the territory is part of the kingdom of Denmark, and has not demonstrated any willingness to sell its possession to our, or any other, country.

He also wants the Panama Canal, and he has threatened that if he decides it is in our best interests to obtain both areas, he might be willing to send in our military to do so.

Trump also wants to change the name "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America."

Honestly, I don't know if he can actually do any of the things he has been talking about, but even this type of talk--which many might think is more of his yabbering about nothing--might actually be based on what is happening globally.

I think he believes that even just talk of these things will put a bug in the heads of the leaders of Russia and China, who might have expansion plans of their own.

He wants them to understand that the U.S. is closely watching what they are doing, and that the U S. can do it, too, if necessary.

I know these plans sound crazy, but it is as crazy as Russia sucking up the Ukraine and China suckong up Taiwan, so if his plans are out of left field, maybe Russia and China's plans were just as crazy a few years ago ... but not out of the question now.

As for the Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of Anerica talk, I think with tarrifs dancing around in his head, and with the border on his mind, I think he believes that this change is a necessary one.

Will he also want to change New Mexico to New America?

Only the Shadow knows, or maybe your hairdresser knows for sure.

I guess that you can politely say that our new president is forward thinking, but many would say that he is delusional.

Personally, I think it is a mix of the two, if that is possible.

But before he goes forward with these ideas, our new president has a major black hole on his plate, as he is going to inherit the problem with the California wildfires. 

What a horrible situation ... and let's stop focusing on all the Hollywood stars and very wealthy people who have lost their homes there, as the media seems to be doing.

Let's focus on the everyman, the average Americans who lost everything ... and are going to have trouble managing with the limited resources they have at their disposal.

Look, it is horrible that anyone has to go through this, but the stars will rebuild, or at least have other places to take refuge in.

The everyman has nothing, and even though I feel for people like James Woods and Billy Crystal, I am more concerned about the average guy who really and truly lost everything.

Why the media continues to focus on the Hollywood multimillionaires is beyond my comprehension.

Or maybe it isn't.

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

Rant #3,611: I Could Write a Book

You might have noticed that I haven't put up any succeeding chapters of my fledgling novel lately.

I haven't put anything up, not purposely, but one thing or another has gotten me in the way of making these chapters available.

Well, I am going to fix that today, by presenting not one, but two chapters for your reading pleasure.

Again, this is a novel geared to young adults, and I really need some feedback as to whether I should pursue this and put it into book form one way or the other.

There are a number of ways I can do this, but it is probably going to cost me some money if I do decide to publish it.

Self-publishing isn't cheap, but that might just be the way fir me to go with this.

So without further ado, here are the next two chapters of my novel.

Please let me know whst you think.

14

Abraham Lincoln Panim kept his scarf on for the first few weeks of classes, and when asked why he continued to wear his scarf, he said that he had a cold, or that he was cold, or he gave any other excuse he could provide so that the inquirer was at least somewhat satisfied with the answer.

He pretty much kept to himself, so the inquiries weren’t that many, and that made it easier for him to wear his scarf during classes.

He was also doing very well in his classes, getting mainly A’s on all of his work.

In between classes, Abraham Lincoln Panim went where most of his fellow students went, to the cafeteria to take a break and to maybe have a cup of coffee or eat a sandwich.

As was his norm, Abraham Lincoln Panim went to the cafeteria, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat alone at a table in the back of the massive room. He took out his books and studied them, and there generally was no one around him, as most students on their break sat with others further up in the room.

One day, Abraham Lincoln Panim followed the same protocol, but for the first time, he saw a group of fellow students, both male and female, pulling up some chairs to a nearby table and sitting directly opposite him.

“Hey, Abie, why don’t you sit with us?” one boy yelled out to him.

Not ever remembering when he was ever called “Abie”—and not liking it one bit--Abraham Lincoln Panim briefly looked up from his book.

“Well … I am into studying for that test we have in English tomorrow … I would like to, but I need to bone up on a few things,” he replied.

“We’ll give you a couple of things to bone up on!” the boy replied, pointing to a girl who was sitting with him at the table, who Abraham Lincoln Panim recognized as being the blind girl who spoke with him while he waited on line during his first day at school. “You can bone up on her!”

The girl pushed the boy away, but he continued what he had to say.

“Hey Abie, why do you wear that scarf all the time? You cannot possibly be sick anymore. I am sure you are a very handsome guy, and I am sure the girls will love you if you just get rid of the scarf.”

Abraham Lincoln Panim briefly looked up, but he did not respond.

Then the boy asking all the questions came over to him, and directly addressed him.

“C’mon, Abie, let everyone look at you and see what you look like!”

Before Abraham Lincoln Panim could do anything, the boy grabbed his scarf, and began to pull it. Abraham Lincoln Panim tried to hold back the pulling, but in a few seconds, the scarf was off, and all eyes in the cafeteria were on him.

“Ha! ‘Eddie Munster’ is back!” the boy yelled, as everyone saw Abraham Lincoln Panim without his scarf, with his rat face in view. “Remember me, Abie?”

In horror and trying to cover his face, Abraham Lincoln Panim looked up at the boy, and who he was came into clear focus to him—it was the same boy who taunted him in school years earlier, Brandon Hartung, the boy who years earlier had poured Cheez Whiz all over him to make fun of his rat face. And he still wore a glove on his right hand.

As seemingly everyone in the cafeteria was laughing at him, Brandon Hartung ran back to his table, took a slice of pizza with his left hand, and rubbed it--including both the sauce and cheese--all over Abraham Lincoln Panim’s head.

Abraham Lincoln Panim, with laughs cascading from one end of the cafeteria to another, got his things, picked up his scarf from the floor, and ran out of the cafeteria as quickly as he could. He ran all the way home.

Abraham Lincoln Panim never attended college again in person.

15

When he explained to his mother what had happened, Mrs. Panim tried to console her son.

“Look, it was my fault,” she said to him that night. “I … I thought that people in college would be a little more open to everybody, no matter who they were, where they came from—“

“But not for a rat-faced boy like me,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said. “Mom, please don’t blame yourself. I guess that I am … I guess too different, with my rat face. That has nothing to do with you.”

No walks were taken that night. Abraham Lincoln Panim was devastated. He went into his bed, shut off his light, and tossed and turned as he tried to sleep.

Once he did finally fall asleep, he had some terrible dreams that night, experiencing what had happened to him over and over and over, until he woke up in a cold sweat.

Abraham Lincoln Panim thought to himself, “Let me go to the bathroom. Let me put some cold water on my face, and then maybe I can get back to sleep.”

This happened for days, if not weeks. Abraham Lincoln Panim never slept through the night, hounded by his nightmares.

In the meantime, Mrs. Panim arranged with the school to have her son take his classes at home. Class work was sent to his house via special delivery, he would do the work, and then whatever he did was sent back to the teacher for grading.

He took all his tests at home, and was able to complete his coursework in about two years. Mrs. Stottle helped him with some things, but he generally did all the coursework himself.

At age 20, Abraham Lincoln Panim received his bachelor of arts degree in the mail. He did not attend any ceremonies, although his mother and Mrs. Stottle arranged a little party for him when he received his diploma.

“Son, you have done a great job getting that diploma,” Mrs. Panim said. “And you really earned it, studied hard, and you have made me so, so proud.”

She then brought out a big ice cream cake with the inscription “Congratulations to the Graduate!” and placed it on a table in the living room, and Mrs. Stottle began to cut the cake.

“You have done a great job,” Mrs. Stottle said, but she looked wobbly as she cut the cake.

She fell backward on the floor, and with his mom trying to revive the older woman, Abraham Lincoln Panim called 911.

The EMTs came and put Mrs. Stottle on a stretcher as his ice cream graduation cake melted off the table and dripped onto the floor.

Rant #3,610: Rally 'Round the Flag

The Jimmy Carter farewell tour to the nation is in full swing now.

This will go on for a few days, culminating on January 9, which is a national holiday of sorts, a day of remembrance, a day to reflect on his life, career, and his time as our 39th president.

As I have previously mentioned, I did not think he was a good president; in fact, I think he was probably the worst president that we have had during my 67 years of life, from Dwight Eusenhower through the second presidency of Donald Trump.

But he was our president, through good and bad, and he deserves the respect that the passing of a commander in chief should receive.

That includes a relatively simple gesture of respect: flying our American flag at half staff for a specified amount of time.

Flags in New York State were ordered to be flown at half staff since December 28, and stay that way until Jan. 28, pretty much mirroring what the national flag mandate is.

Pretty much every municipality in the nation is following these flag guidelines, except on Long island, where Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at first did not lower the county's flags at all, but then slightly reneged, agreeing to lower the flags for just three days.

He has given absolutely no reasons at all for his decision, but it is pretty easy to see what his thinking is.

Although President-Elect Trump did show remorse at the death of Carter--he actually wrote a pretty straight-forward message, saying while he didn't agree with Carter politically, he respected him--Trump also stated that he was upset that the flags will be at half-staff during his inauguration, which is on January 15.

Thus, you can bet that Blakeman, a Republican, is reacting to what Trump said, and thus, the flags aren't being displayed as they are everywhere else.

Personally, even though I also was not a fan of Carter, I am a fan of the presidency, and when we have a commander in chief pass on, no matter what party he has represented, the flag must fly at half-staff.

It is a show of respect for both the person AND the position.

Each of our living presidents will one day leave us, and each and every one of them will deserve this same gesture of respect when their time comes--

And that includes Trump.

So his jabbering is just that, and why Blakeman is taking seriously what the president-elect said is beyond me.

Is Blakeman trying to make some type of statement?

Is he trying to get in Trump's good graces?

Does he have a personal reason for his actions?

Maybe this will all eventually come out in the wash, but right now, it is befuddling at best.

Jimmy Carter was our nation's president. 

Even though he was our commander in chief for just one four-year term, he was our president.

He has left us, and he must be shown respect in his passing.

What more needs to be said?

Rant #3,609: The Way It Is

Well, for the first time in my life, I was scammed.

My son bought me an Ebay gift card for Chanukah, and I finally wanted to use it late yesterday afternoon.

I opened up the packaging the card was secured in, and i noticed that the code was not covered, as it normally is, with a dark strip that has to be rubbed off.

In fact, the code was fully exposed, but part of the code was rubbed off, looking like it was rubbed off with a fingernail or a coin.

Evidently, this is part of a scam where the card is stolen, the crook records the bar code and the number scheme, and then puts back the card where he originally got it.

Then, he periodically checks to see if the card has been purchased and how much money it has on it, and uses it for his own needs.

Anyway, when I discovered that the code had been partially rubbed out, and thus, I could not use the card, I brought it back to the place of purchase.

I was immediately rebuffed, with store management stating that I had to contact eBay, and not them, about this problem.

There was an email address on the back of the card, so when I got home, I immediately went to the site, explained what happened, and I received a phone call back, alerting me to what I had to do to prove my case.

I was given a link, and I had to send several documents to them as photos, including an ID, a receipt for the card, and a picture of the damaged card.

Happily, I had the receipt, which I would expect most people in this situation don't have--even the attached gift receipt--because I would assume that usually, these cards are given as gifts, and the receipt is thrown away by the purchaser.

I received word back that it would take several business days for action to be taken--

But incredibly, within about two hours, I received word that the card could now be used at the original price it was purchased at, and I was given the part of the code that had been scratched out.

I assume that the problem was such an obvious one--yes, the card had been appropriated by somebody well before it was purchased by my son--that it was a no-brainer to restore it for my use--and the material I sent them was exactly what they needed to fix the problem.

For now on, when I purchase a gift card, I will have to open the casing, and make sure the protective strip is in place, as it should have been on this card. 

And that goes for when my wife and son purchase such cards, too.

Also, save all receipts, just in case.

Finally, I will never buy a gift card in this store again, because I know the store has been targeted.

I know thst I am not the only person who has ever run into trouble like this, but it still hits me hard.

My son bought this card for me as a gift, using his hard-earned money to pay for it, and some thief thinks he has the right to steal it from under our noses.

Not a good feeling, but a least it all worked out so my son wouldn't be out the money he spent on the card.

To the thief, I hope you get caught, but I know that in all likelihood, this isn't going to happen.

This is the world that we live in today, and there is very little one can do about it.

Rant #3,608: Pay the Devil

Congestion pricing started in New York City--Manhattan--yesterday, on a Sunday of all days of the week.

The plan impacts drivers beginning at 60th street to the southern tip.of Manhattan.

This is another nail in the coffin for a city that is on life support at this point.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authirity said it is necessary to pare down the number of vehicles moving around Manhattan, and it will open up the city, and make it nit only safer, but less polluted.

It will also force more people to use mass transit, and good luck if you use the unsafe subway.

Many others believe that this is nothing more than a political move, an extra tax that drivers have to pay on top of other driving fees they need to pay, and it is being used to cover up the financial inequities of the MTA.

The plan was put on hold by New York Governor Kathy "The Yokel" Hochul prior to the presidential election, because it was so linked to New York Democrats, it would hurt Kamala Harris in the race against Donald Trump.

The problem was that Harris ran such an inept campaign that it really had no impact on the outcome.

Now that the plan has been reinstated, it really is just another tax that drivers are going to have to pay.

But it has a ripple effect on so many directions ...

I guarantee that if my father were alive, and still driving his cab, he would retire immediately once this was put on place, because cab fares being what they are, customers have to pay the additional tax, and thus, their total fare would impact the tips that he received, and impact those tips in a downward way.

And cabs pick up passengers by cruising through the city, so he would have to pay $9 each time he entered the pricing zone ... multiple times a day.

And thpse bringing goods into Manhattan ... don't you think they will.pass down their extra costs to consumers?

Sure, there are discounts for certain drivers, but the way Hochul explained this is that the current plan "only" charges $9 for regular passenger cars, the original plan was $15, so she opined thst drivers are actually "saving" $6 on each trip.

That is like saying that you are "saving" money when you are buying something thst you wouldn't necessarily buy without a sale price; thus, what money are you saving if you are making a purchase on something you wouldn't necessarily buy?

And, of course, not only will that $9 price escalate over time, but right at the get go, drivers of other types of vehicles--trucks--are already paying more than that.

Completely insane logic, but New Yorkers voted for this fool for governor--and voted fir her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who originally came up with this money grab, and has since come out against the plan--so they are getting what they deserve.

But what about those from New Jersey, who are being taxed for their driving no matter which way they turn?

All legislative proposals to further put a hold on congestion pricing have failed, so the plan, at least for the immediate future, is a go.

I haven't had to drive into Manhattan in probably about 10 years, and happily, I haven't worked in Manhattan for probably 40 years or so, so this plan really doesn't affect me at all.

But I think about those people who must drive into Manhattan, and to have another tax thrown at them is just plain wrong.

Wait until today, when drivers will really feel the pinch, and you just know that there will be reverberations of this plan in the coming days and months.

Even President-elect Trump has come out against the plan, although I don't really know what he can do about it.

But again, New York voters knew about this plan years ago, yet they still voted Hochul into office.

Perhaps the only way to stop this assault on the public's pocketbook is simple--

Just vote her out the next time around ... I can almost guarantee that her opponents will all be against congestion pricing, as a major selling point to their campaigns.

But are New York State voters smart enough to make this obvious fix?

At this point, I wouldn't bet on it.

Rant #3,607: Try Too Hard

Well, I did the best I could do.

I told you the other day that somebody near and dear to me wished me a "Happy New Year" via text, and I had high hopes that the door was at least slightly ajar with possibilities.

I contacted this person back via text, I even tried to call the person, but this person simply makes no effort at all to reconnect with me.

On Wednesday, after texting this person earlier in the day, I simply decided to call her, because I did not want to have a conversation via text.

I could not even leave a voicemail.message, as the message I received simply said the person was not available, and I "should call back later."

I texted this person that response, and the person claimed, via text, that since she is on vacation, the person had turned her phone off.

The person said, "I will call you in two weeks" when the person's vacation was over, kind of a strange response to someone I have not heard from or seen in six months ... and it definitely shows that that person really has no intention of changing their ways.

I have already waited six months to hear or see this person, and now I have to wait two more weeks?

Sorry, that does not compute, and more importantly, I do believe that this person is simply putting me off and really has absolutely no intention of speaking to me.

I texted the person again, and the person continues to be impossible to deal with, refusing to tell me where she is vacationing--I thought that perhaps the person's voicemail was not working correctly if the person was vacationing abroad ... but the reason was simply that the person's phone was supposedly turned off.

Late yesterday afternoon, I called the person, and again, the person did not answer my call.

I then texted the person, saying thst I had called.

This person is 36 going on 12, has absolutely no common sense, and has some idiotic idea thst I will be willingly strung along like this, waiting with baited breath for two weeks for a call that I don't believe will ever come.

Nope, I have been around the block, so to speak, and I am not thst stupid.

As I said, I tried, but my efforts were for naught.

One day, maybe, that person will learn thst this is not the way to act, but right now, this person is someone I wish I knew better, but I am being prevented from knowing by this person's behavior toward me.

And what's worse, I have absolutely, positively and completely no idea why the person is treating me this way ... NONE.

I tried ... .

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