Rant #3,667: Leaving It All Behind

Being confined to bed for such a long time forced me to put off various activities until I was ready to move about as my left leg strengthened.

Over the past year or so, I did just about everything that I couldn't do when I was laid up, everything from driving a car to going food shopping to seeing my son play basketball and bowl.

But as I checked off things from my list of things I wanted to get back to doing, there was still one thing I hadn't done, all these months later.

I had never been to our storage unit, where we are keeping a lot of our "stuff" because the apartment we moved to was way too small to hold everything.

Well, I can now cross that activity off my list, because on Friday afternoon, I finally visited our storage unit, going there with my wife.

The storage building is just about a mile away from where we currently live, but it may as well have been on the other side of the world, because I hadn't seen any of the things stored there for the past 18 months or so.

We have so much stored there that is very important to us, including my LP collection, books, photo albums, larger photos, family heirlooms, etc.

And I hadn't seen any of them in a long time.

So close, yet so far.

The place where we have all of this stuff stored is quite modern and quite nice.

You need a code to get your car in through the gates, and once inside the building, you need a key to get into the unit.

And the whole place is climate controlled, and the air conditioning was on when we were there.

When we moved to our apartment, we had a major problem with the original movers, and with our original storage facility.

We had to move our things to another facility, and our things ended up where they are now.

The original movers damaged or destroyed some of our things--including the plastic receptacles that many of these things were placed in--and we also believe that some of the things that we had decided to store were, let's say, pilfered, although we would have to go through everything piece by piece to ascertain that.

Anyway, my wife warned me thst I should be prepared for what I was going to see, and as I turned the key in the lock, I was prepared for the worst.

Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought, but yes, it was pretty messy.

I went through a few boxes, and it was like I was meeting up with old friends I hadn't seen in years.

The first thing I saw were framed pictures of my sister and myself, probably from about 60 years ago.

I rediscovered numerous books, photos, and other things, and it is really heartbreaking that this stuff is stored away, just sitting there, and not being enjoyed.

When we moved, we threw out bags and bags and bags of different things, and, in fact, I was first hurt lugging a bag of junk down the stairs to the curb.

We spent about 15 minutes there, and I took three small things back to our apartment:

A book of Monkees cards--don't laugh, these are very valuable.

A scrapbook of articles I wrote for the old Island Ear publication and for other publications--the beginning of my professional writing career.

A book on The Little Rascals/Our Gang short features series, a book that is long out of print and very difficult to find.

I wish I could have brought home everything, but I was happy with what I was able to bring back with me.

With these three things in tow, we locked the door behind us and we left the building, having to use our code to drive out of the place.

It was a nice place to visit, but I do wish we had the room to bring all of it back with us.

But alas, that just wasn't meant to be.

Rant #3,666: Maybe Tomorrow

I am so tired.

This week has been a busy one, what with work and everything else I have to do.

I am bushed ... I could use a couple of days where I don't do very much.

This is not retirement ... it simply can't be.

I think I need a retirement counselor, if there is such a thing.

This person would need to instruct me about "how to enjoy retirement without any money."

Is it possible?

Not in the environment we are in now, that's for sure.

But getting back to time management ...

I barely have time to write this blog five days a week.

I sleep pretty well, but I have slept better.

I seem to do a lot of thinking in my dreams.

So I'm not counting sheep ... I am going over things that bother me, and there is plenty that gets my goat right now.

I have to tell you, I have a lot to be thankful for, but there are times that my personal situation hits me right between the eyes.

I am brought back to reality each and every morning, when i prepare for the day.

I am so much better than I was, but the stark reality hits me when I shower and get dressed.

Not that either is a struggle anymore ... it is just so much more difficult to do these things than it once was.

It sounds crazy, but putting on socks is the worst.

i do it, but when i put on my left sock, i have to contort myself a bit, and it just brings everything bad back to me.

Yes, I am whining, and i am very thankful to all who got me through this ... but it is still difficult.

In general, I wish things were better all around for myself and my family, but I guess you could say we are holding our own, or maybe just treading water.

But there's always hope.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

And while I contemplate all of this gobbledegook, how about ending the week by reading the next installment of my novel?

I would appreciate it.

And while you are doing it, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.

22

The students filed back into the classroom pretty quickly after the lunch break, and as usual, they were led by Melissa, who took her usual seat, the first seat by the door in the first row.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Abraham,” she said, with even more of a perk in her speech than normal. “It is so good to see you again after a nice lunch break.”

“It is good to see you, Melissa, and your classmates here,” “Mr. Abraham” replied. “We have plenty to do this afternoon, so let’s dive right into it.”

Melissa nodded over to another student seated next to her, and whispered, “Sure, he is going to be taking a dive, all right.” The other student smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Mr. Abraham” began the afternoon lessons, and the day went quickly for Abraham Lincoln Panim, as the clock quickly got closer to the 3 p.m. end of the school day time.

During the arithmetic part of the lesson, “Mr. Abraham” turned to the class as he finished writing on the blackboard.

“Does everyone understand this?” he asked, looking around the room. “It is getting late in the day, we only have a few minutes left, so if there is anyone not understanding this, we need to talk about it—“

“I’m not sure about it,” said Melissa as she raised her hand to get “Mr. Abraham’s attention. Responding to her plea for help, Abraham Lincoln Panim walked over to her, anticipating her questions.

“What seems to be the matter, what’s the problem?” he asked, as he bent down to see Melissa’s work.

“I don’t know, what is the problem?” Melissa asked, as she yanked on Abraham Lincoln Panim’s scarf, which went from being held tightly around his face to falling on the floor, revealing his secret to the entire class.

“My brother said it was you!” Melissa screeched “You are that rat-faced guy that my brother told me about. You have a rat face! And you hate cheese!”

The class laughed, and Abraham Lincoln Panim bent to the floor to quickly retrieve his pulled-off scarf.

And as he was doing this, he realized … Melissa Hartung was Brandon Hartung’s younger sister, the very person who had terrorized him when he was in nursery school and when he was in college.

“Not only did my brother warn me about you, but Mr. Sedall said you were the rat-faced guy!” Melissa bragged to the class. “They both knew what they were talking about—you are a rat face!”

“Rat face! Rat face! Rat face!” the class yelled almost in unison, and Abraham Lincoln Panim was only saved by the 3:00 p.m. bell that rang.

The class filed past him as he was still on the floor, trying to cover his face with his scarf.

He sat there as the last child filed out of the room.

Rant #3,665: Start

Today, the 2025 Major League Baseball season begins ...

Although it already began, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs played a two-game series in Japan last week.

So, the Dodgers are 2-0, the Cubs 0-2.

And yes, Shohei Ohtani--the very marketable/highly unmarketable star--has a home run already under his belt.

Ohtani is an enigma, and MLB really doesn't know what to do with him.

He could be the game's most highly marketable star, as he is not only a great hitter, but also a superior pitcher, the first such bombastic combination since Babe Ruth, who did what he did a century ago.

But the Babe became the true face of the game because he was, by far, its most marketable player, appearing in ads, movies--

You name it, and he was there.

Ohtani--and MLB--have a problem, and that is that while he is highly marketable, he speaks no English, so that kind of stifles his marketability.

Don't get me wrong, he DOES speak English, understands it, and even with a strong accent, could use the language in a variety of merchandising tools.

The problem is that it is something of a "badge of honor" for Japanese players not to speak English to reporters and the public, instead relying on personal.interpreters to get their message out.

The Seattle Nariners' Ichiro Suzuki certainly laid the groundwork for this during his Hall of Fame career, and the New York Yankees' Hideki Matsui followed suit--

Only to be outed by teammate Derek Jeter years after both of their careers ended, at one point telling the press that Matsui spoke and understood English as well as anyone.

Don't get me wrong; Ohtani has been in a number of commercials, but he has scant little to say.

Compare that to, for instance, the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, who is a marketing goldmine for the NBA, and often has too much to say.

Ohtani makes a goldmine from sales of his shirts and other things, but he woukd make even more if he spoke English.

This is a conundrum that MLB has had to deal with since Ohtani has been in MLB, and while the game has the Yankees' Aaron Judge as something of a substitute, can you imagine if Ohtani could be persuaded to speak English?

As it is, like Ichiro and Matsui, Ohtani has made baseball-crazy Japan even wilder about their adopted national pasttime--

Brought to those shores by none other than Babe Ruth when he barnstormed in Asia prior to World War II.

Whatever the case, the 2025 season officially begins today, with Ohtani and Judge leading the way.

Play ball!--

Or in Japanese--

プレイボール

Pureibōru

Rant #3,664: Fun, Fun, Fun

Yesterday, our local Newsday newspaper had a great story in its pages, all about Bill White.

You don't know who Bill White is? 

Let me fill you in.

White was an excellent ballplayer during his career--a five-time All-Star and a World Series champion in 1964 for the St. Louis Cardinals-- perhaps not a Hall of Famer, but an excellent player nonetheless.

In 1972, with the New York Yankees radio/TV broadcast booth in a bit of turmoil, the team took a chance on this newbie to broadcasting, doing something no team had ever done up to that point--hire a black broadcaster.

That chance latest 18 years, and opened the door for many professional sports teams to hire minority voices.

White--a smart guy who actually aspired to be a doctor--fit right into the broadcast team which was manned by sports broadcast lifer Frank Messer and Yankee all-tume great Phil Rizzuto.

The duo eased White into his new role, and White became a mainstay on both Yankees broadcasts and on national baseball broadcasts.

When he joined the broadcast team, the Yankees weren't very good, and hadn't been for a number of years.

Messer was the pro of the group, and his demeanor never changed, win or lose.

But Rizzuto--who himself was trained on the air by Hall of Fame broadcaster Mel Allen--kind of fell off the ledge during these years, paying less attention to the game at hand, and more attention to birthday wishes, his wife Cora, and cannolis.

And the fans loved it!

With White as the straight man, Rizzuto went off on tangents having nothing to do with anything, and the game almost became secondary to Rizzuto and White's Johnny Carson/Ed McMahon imitation.

Or maybe it was their Abbott and Costello imitation.

Holy cow!

The stuff that went on on that booth--a lot that we don't know about, according to White--was stuff of legends, and could not happen in today's woke world.

Goodness, I remember such things--Rizzuto's "guinea" segment ... getting White's name wrong and saying "all you guys look alike" ... covering for Rizzuto when he left games early ... I won't rehash a lot of this, but suffice it to say that you absolutely could not get away with any of this stuff today.

Yankees games on WPIX became "must-see TV," even if you didn't like baseball and/or the Yankees, because you never knew what was going to come out of Rizzuto's mouth--

Or how White would respond.

White became an excellent broadcaster, and when the Yankees regained their excellence, he demonstrated how great he was too, as when he described Bucky Dent's big home run against the hated Red Sox in 1978.

After leaving the Yankees, White became the first black league president, of the National League.

After leaving that post, White has laid pretty low, writing his autobiography several years ago but generally staying out of the spotlight.

And White, in his early 90s, said thst he misses his old partner to this day.

It was good reading about White, and yes, he is doing pretty well, although he lost his wife a few years back and resides in an assisted living facility.

It was a nice read, and if you enlarge the photo, you might be able to enjoy it as much as I did--

A great baseball story right before the 2025 season is getting ready to begin tomorrow.

Play ball!

Rant #3,663: Dirty Water

This passing didn't make the obituary section of my local newspaper, but I found it kind of personally important.

Larry Tamblyn, brother of actor Russ and the leader of The Standells rock group, left us the other day.

A lot of people looked at the Los Angeles-based band as something of a one-hit wonder and little more, but I looked at them a bit differently.

Sure, their "Dirty Water" hit single pretty much defined what garage rock was 60 years ago, but many of you might remember that the band guest starred on "The Munsters" TV show as the band that took over the ghoulish family's home with other hippie/beatnik types of thst time period.

It is a classic episode from a classic TV series, and it really typified the time when rock and its long-haired types were starting to be coming into our living rooms on a regular basis.

Things were changing, and TV was a major cog in that change.

The Standells recorded a number if LPs and singles during their most prolific time period, and they were featured on numerous TV variety shows during that period.

For the psst 50 years or so, there have been various incarnations of the band continuing to perform all over the country, and Tamblyn continued to keep the flame going into the present time.

Another reason that Tamblyn's passing hit me was that The Standells actually had a couple of side projects during their heyday, producing some recordings that are really difficult to find.

One was "The Sllednats"--Standells spelled backwards--which produced one single to my knowledge.

I don't have that one in my collection, but the next one I do have.

"Larry" was another side project, named after Tamblyn himself.

One song--"Summer Clothes"--came out of this project, and this 1967 tune is a bit of whimsy, certainly not the greatest record ever produced but a great addition to my collection when I found it several years ago.

(Heck, for this Larry to actually have a record by "Larry" kind if puts a cherry on top of my record collection.)

There are several Standells music compilations out there, and they are well worth getting.

And you can always see their appearance in "The Munsters," and on YouTube.

So, thanks to Larry Tamblyn, and to salute him, I am going to use a song title by Del Shannon, which I think fits the bill:

"Hats Off To Larry."

https://youtu.be/6qCRTtQ4XaU?si=bN-X9xSyHvhL9fU1

Rant #3,662: It's Not Right

As I have told you many times, there is a rift in the handicapped persons' community that one can only see if they are in it or somehow attached to it.

I am attached to it because of my son, and when I see it, it hits hard.

This rift is multi-level and multi-faceted, and with all of the prejudices unfairly hoisted on this community by the non-handicapped world, it is really almost blasphemous that prejudices also exist within the handicapped world.

Let me begin with a prejudice thst the non-handicapped world places on the handicapped world, perhaps doing it unwittingly, but it still stings.

The first one is between the physically handicapped and mentally handicapped, and this one really is one that the outside world promulgates by its actions, in particular in its hiring practices.

There are two levels of handicapped: those who are physically handicapped, such as thise whose limbs do not work properly, and they are often confined to wheelchairs; and those who are mentally handicapped, such as those whose thought processes might not be up to what society considers to be the norm.

Many companies do hire handicapped workers, because they do get a tax credit when they do so.

But I have noticed that companies lean toward hiring those with physical handicaps rather than thise with mental handicaps, because I do believe that these companies believe they can get more out of those with physical handicaps than mental handicaps.

And when they do get hired for menial jobs, those with mental handicaps get taken advantage of in the workplace; case in point being my son's situation at his job, where his already measely hours were cut by 75 percent, evidently because of the increase in the minimum wage.

These workers are taken advantage of, because they don't have the capacity to speak up.

The entire situation is truly upsetting.

Rant #3,661: Think

I put this post on Facebook on Wednesday.

Please read it and see what you think.

"You know, since I am independent voter, and could care less about the Democrats and Republicans, I don't see any positive vibes coming from Washington about coming together and making our country the best that it can be.

Absolutely nothing seems to be working right in our country, and it is hurting people like myself and my family.

That is just a blanket statement, but it is a heartfelt and honest one.

I would love to hear what anyone else has to say about this, because right now, I feel that people like myself, and my family, are being led and dumped into a thick fog created by people who think they breathe a more rarified air than we do.

Any thoughts on this?

A "like" is nice, but I really want to know what you feel about this, so please, post your thoughts.

Thanks."

I have to tell you, I received very little feedback on this--

Just two people posted replies.

The replies were good, but I would have thought that my post would have gotten much more response than it actually did.

I can't be the only person who feels this way, can I?

The president makes an executive order, and it is stopped by judges.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by a billionaire who acts harshly without any feelings, finds efficiencies which need to be made, but also lops off thousands of workers without any reason, other than a filtering of the force.

The Democrats sit on one side of the aisle, the Republicans on the other, and you would think we are in a real, honest to goodness civil war with the way they act towards each other.

Anti-semitism is surging, no matter what the president tries to do to quell it, with the courts seemingly taking what amounts to the adversary's or foe's side at every turn.

Me, I just was attacked on Facebook again, with my ethnicity and photo made fun of, and a swastika drawn on my face--all because I disagreed with someone who posted something that I took issue with.

(Yes, I reported all of this to Facebook, but the last time I looked, the image was still up for all to see.)

And the president continually fans the flames of disunity by acting like a "king" rather than as a "president."

With all of this, I see no unity at all, and I don't see any side taking measures to make us a unified country.

And yes, even though I agree with the president on some things he has done--certainly not all--I do believe things have gotten worse--much worse--since the new administration has taken power.

This is not meant as a knock against the president, who I believe is doing a much better job than his predecessor did or his adversary would have if she attained the presidency.

But I simply do not see us as a unified country, more of a group of factions doing all it can to thwart the enemy--

And the enemy appears to be within.

The greater problem is that I see this continuing into the foreseeable future.

And that is not good.

Just something to think about as we go into the weekend.

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

Rant #3,660: Alone

Yesterday was the calm before the storm, and today, my son has that job fair to go to, and I sure hope it is a fruitful exercise--

Because once again, an organization that is supposed to help him is dragging its feet while my son sits here and watches TV.

I called them like I said I would, and again, I think I got his counselor at a bad time, because she, once again, had no clue who my son was.

And when she finally figured it all out, I asked about an assessment--which she said he needed before the organization could help him--and she said that he needed to sign some document--which has not yet been sent to us--and then some outside entity could proceed.

How long does all of this take?

"Oh, you have to understand that I have a large caseload, and it is something that isn't immediate, and there is no telling how long this process will take--

And--

And--"

Well, I could have told her that I don't care about her large caseload, and I could have said that Christmas is coming too, but I simply didn't.

I knew I was wasting my time right then and there.

This is a situation that needs quick, steady action, and when you are dealing with what amounts to a pencil pusher, the pencil evidently isn't going to be pushed too quickly.

The only thing I did was ask her if she had the proper mailing address and email address, because she supposedly sent us some communication a while back, and we never received it, as it went to the wrong address.

So I just said, "Thank you," and that was the end of that.

I will never call them again, and I won't count on them for anything.

But now is the time to out them, because, like Popeye, "I have taken all I can stand and I can't stand no more."

If you know anything about these organizations, this one is Access VR, and I was led to believe that all roads lead through this group, and no other group can help you if you aren't overseen by Access VR and are in their system.

So, another dead end, another waste of time, and as I told my wife, "These people are working, and I am sitting at home"--related to the fact that these incompetent people have jobs, and after I lost mine, no one would hire me to do anything.

Incompetency is valued; good, responsible workers ... what's that?

And most importantly, my son still sits here.

So after his big, four-hour workday today--remember, he was cut down from four days/16 hours and is a victim of the increase in minimum wage--we will go over to this job fair, with our heads held high.

And maybe, just maybe, something good will happen.

But as I said, with all of these organizations set up to help people like my son, we are on our own in the goal of finding him a new job.

Totally, completely, on our own.

Rant #3,659: Tattoo You

Yesterday, I had a couple of stories to edit for work.

One came my way in the late morning, the other in late afternoon.

The second one spoke about a new tattoo parlor that was opening on the Hickam AB, Hawaii, military installation, the first such business that the Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened on a Pacific Region base.

Tattoos have always been a big thing in the military, and certainly during the past 20 years, it has become equally a trendy thing in the civilian world.

So to cash in on this popularity--and to try to keep this business regulated and on base-- during the past couple of years, more and more tattoo parlors have opened on militsry bases.

Yes, it is a money thing--to keep the money spent on tattoos on base, to be funneled back into the military community--but it is also a health thing.

Tattoo parlors off base are often unregulated, and there are health concerns related to the ink offered by these places.

When a tattoo parlor is on base, not only is the money kept on base, but certain, very stringent health regulations are set up, in this case, by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and the Air Force, and they must be met to the letter.

(Although it is not spoken about in the current time, the military also used to run their own brothels for the very same reasons, including health reasons.)

And it also allows the military to keep an eye on what tattoos are being put on arms, legs, and elsewhere on the body.

And by the way, these parlors are not just open to service members.

These shops are also open to the entire military community, as long as they are over 18 years of age.

At one time, the stereotyped "Drunken Sailors" were the only ones getting tattoos--

But now, they have gone mainstream, and everyone gets them.

Personally, I don't get tattoos.

I don't know why anyone would want to put pictures on their bodies, ruining God's perfect creation, but that is just me.

And women ... don't get me started.

And, of course, Jews are not supposed to get tattoos; we are supposed to leave this earth the way we came in, which tattoos would not allow.

Also, during World War II, Jews who were rounded up and put in concentration camps--simply because of their religion--were often marked by the Nazis with tattoos of numbers and names.

But this is 2025, not 1945, and plenty of Jews have tattoos all over their bodies.

Some of my nephews, and my daughter, have them, so that thinking is pretty much out the window.

I don't get tattoos ...

But if you are of age, it is your skin, your body, and if you want to mark it up, that is your right.

I actually was told that I have a tattoo--

But it is a medical tattoo, inscribed in my body when I had my gall bladder removed nearly 18 years ago.

So that really doesn't count, not like putting "Mother" across your chest, or something akin to that.

So service members get tattoos, your next door neighbor gets them, and your kid's teacher gets them.

There is no stigma to doing this anymore, unless the ink crosses the line ... and I don't think I have to tell you what that line is.

So that was one of the stories I worked on yesterday, and it left an indelible, but not visual, mark on me.

How does one get rid of a tattoo thst they don't want anymore?

Me, this mark on me disappears when I move on to the next story--

But if you want to remove your old girlfriend or boyfriend's name from your body, well ...

How do you do it?

The pain ... the pain ... .

Rant #3,658: Keep On Pushin'

I took a pause on talking about my son's job-seeking adventures for a day while I focused on St. Patrick's Day--

But if it's Tuesday, it must be another day of looking for something better.

My son had an interesting job interview this past Friday, which I had to do an end-around to even get his foot in the door.

As I told you last week, the first person I spoke to gave me nothing but doubletalk, so I called her bluff, helping my son apply for a job he simply can't do.

Incredibly, he received a job interview from this, and although the specific job he applied for was brought up very briefly during the interview, he ended up applying for a job he can do, a job that his interview was switched to because he was already there.

I hate to do stuff like this, but they were the ones to put themselves in such a hole.

But whatever the case, my son had a good interview, but they never tell you right then and there whether you have the job or not--but since they didn't advertise the position, were they giving us lip service or is he actually up for a legitimate job opening?

Who knows?

We are going to a job fair on Thursday afternoon, where there will ne a number of companies that he can work for.

It is being put on by the state's Department of Labor, so let's see if my son can get some interest by a company or two or three that are hiring special needs people.

All he needs is a chance ...

A chance thst appears to be elusive, even when it comes to organizations that are supposed to help him.

I told you about the one he was just approved for. And no, they have still not called him to set up anything for him--he needs an assessment--although they said that they would call him this week.

It is only Tuesday, and I think I will give it until tomorrow before I call them again.

While they are dragging their feet, we are trying to move full steam ahead, but it isn't easy when there is a brick wall directly in front of you.

But we have to move on ...

It is our own personal "March Madness," and it is not about winning a basketball game, it is about winning a chance to do a good day's work.

That is our goal, and we are going to keep on pushin', no matter what.

Rant #3,657: The Unicorn

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am not Irish, nor do I imbibe, so it is just another Monday for me.

But ...

I guess we are all "Irish" today.

If you celebrate the day, have a good one.

Personally, I have some really good--and some really bad--memories of the holiday, and I spoke about them in Rant #2,854, March 17, 2022.

"In school, in P.S. 30, Rochdale Village, Queens, we drew leprechauns and pots of gold, and we looked for four-leaf clovers in the grass and gave each other cards to celebrate the day.

On TV, the leprechaun in the “Lucky Charms” commercials stood out as we ate that cereal on the holiday ... I mean, that was HIS day, wasn't it?

But as I got older, I saw the bad side of the holiday become  a bit clearer.

 My father, a New York City medallion cab driver of 50 years' standing, always told me that this was the absolute worst day of work for him during the year.

 He picked up lots of drunk people who often spit up in or on the cab, you could not get through the streets because of the parade, and it was just a mess to drive the streets of Manhattan and the other boroughs on this day.

If that wasn’t bad enough, then I saw the whole thing unfold myself.

 When I worked in Manhattan when I was younger, I literally saw every stereotype you could see about this holiday unfold before my eyes.

 First, going into Manhattan from Long Island was a bit scary, as people were openly drinking from the moment they got on the Long Island Railroad train to get to work in the morning through all times of the evening.

And if one didn’t have a drink on their person, they could easily get one from just about any conductor, who were also drinking their pants off while on duty … and let’s not forget the drinking and smoking cars at the time, which happily furnished anyone who wanted a drink with one.

And when I got off the railroad at Penn Station, I would then walk to work, and along with all the usual winos and drunks and other dregs you would normally see laying on the street at that time, you would also see others with open cans of beer, tanking up before even getting to their workplace.

And then the parade … sorry to say that such a joyous celebration of New York’s Irish community was laden with lots of problems, too much drinking, and too much of too much, if you get what I mean.

I know I have told this story many times but I am going to tell it again.

I worked right off Fifth Avenue at the time, at a building and at an address that no longer exists, 14 West 40th Street, in the shadow of the New York Public Library.

I had gone to lunch, and barely escaped back to my building, as the parade was dispersing, and I was offered every substance known to man as I went to lunch and came back to the building from lunch.

I just got into the building, and as the door closed behind me, a young girl who was probably my age—early 20s—pushed open the door, fell to the ground in our hallway, and proceeded to throw up her guts as she lay on the floor.

I have never seen a sadder thing in my life, and finally, and fortuitously for me, the elevator finally came, and took me to where I had to go.

I am sure I must have told someone in my office about this, and I am sure the building maintenance people were also alerted, because when I left work a few hours later, the hallway was pretty much cleaned up, although there was still a stench of vomit in the hallway.

And that was the very day my father came home from work and told us that someone literally flung themselves at the front of his cab while he was navigating the streets, drunk as a skunk and not knowing what they were doing.

Yes, those things happened literally 40 years ago, and I know that there was a point in time that New York City recognized how out of hand things were getting on this day, and clamped down on the rowdiness that this day regularly produced.

Things are much better now, people are more responsible, you just know that this year’s parade and celebration will be the best ever."

Yes, things have changed, and St. Patrick's Day has returned and rebounded to be one of the funnest days if the year.

But honestly, the day does not begin for me until I hear the song "The Unicorn" by The Irish Rovers.

It was a hit record back in 1968--#7 on the Hot 100--and the song has become directly linked to the holiday over the past nearly 60 years.

The tune was actually first released six years earlier, and was written by a nice Jewish boy, Shel Silverstein, who was about as Irish as I am.

It is more a folk song than anything else, but once the Irish Rovers had a hit with it, it became forever linked with St. Patrick's Day.

So to make it easy, just click on the link, and here it is!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

https://youtu.be/qfhZ4rw6R4g?si=ykaRFEp3k6eMdbtN

Rant #3,656: Gimme Little Sign

My son has a job interview today.

I would be happy about this, but the store manager double-talked me about my son and his capabilities, and honestly, if she was the one interviewing him, I would be even more apprehensive than i already am.

Happily, someone else is interviewing him, so perhaps this person will have a different take on all of this.

I sure hope so!

Onto other matters ...

Protestors are still doing their thing defending that human garbage who led the Columbia University protests, and this time, they took their rancid protest to Trump Tower, where security wasn't able to stop them from entering and causing trouble, and the NYPD was called.

Nearly 100 of these protesting vermin/Hamas groupies were arrested, and there were reportedly no incidents.

And I noticed in the video showing them inside Trump Tower that the Hamas groupies were all wearing matching T-shirts ...

Leading me to believe that all of this garbage are paid actors by groups looking to incite trouble on our soil ...

And that includes that human excrement they want freed.

Onto other matters ...

Nothing much else is doing in my neck of the woods, other than the weather has been really nice lately, not like winter, but more like early spring, which will actually be here in just a few days--a week or so.

And thus, my birthday is right around the corner, 45 days away.

And the baseball season will begin in two weeks, so hope springs eternal.

Maybe my son will even start a new job!

Who knows?

And in the meantime, please read the latest chapter of my novel.

Maybe it will bring him some good luck!

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

21

The weekend went by quickly for Abraham Lincoln Panim, and the glow of his first real workweek was still as bright as could be.

Once the school reopened, he and Mrs. Panim went to school together, as they had the previous week, and the mother and son both went to the office together as they had the previous week.

As they entered, Mr. Panim went directly to the front desk, as her son strode in behind her.

“Oh, it looks like you have the same assignment as last week, as the regular teacher is still out,” she told her son. “He might be out just today, but whatever the case, it’s your class again.”

Abraham Lincoln Panim smiled under his scarf, because he knew if he could handle the assignment one week, he certainly could do it again, for however long it took.

And this time, he went up to the room himself.

He opened the door, and as has been the norm from his first day, the students were milling about the room. As “Mr. Abraham” walked into the room, Melissa, who had a crowd around her, opened her eyes even wider than they normally were.

“Good morning, Mr. Abraham,” she said. “I guess you are going to be our sub again?”

“That’s right, I am going to be your teacher again,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said to her as he confidently strode to the desk, and started to read the roll call of students in the class, one after the other.

“Melissa—“

“Oh yes, Mr. Abraham, I am here. I wouldn’t miss today’s class for anything with you here,” she said in a snickering tone, as the rest of the class giggled along with her.

“Mr. Abraham” simply passed by her remark and continued to read off the roll. When he was finished, he began to write some lessons on the blackboard, turning his back to the class.

As he turned his back to the class, Melissa quietly turned to the rest of the class, shook her head, and nearly all of them shook their own heads too.

The morning went quickly for “Mr. Abraham” and his class. He did all the lessons that needed to be done, collected some homework he had given them, and it quickly reached the lunch hour.

“OK, class, we will pick up on this after lunch,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said as the bell rang for the lunch break. When the bell rang, all the students got up from their seats and left the class pretty much in unison.

“See you after lunch,” Melissa said, laughing with some of her classmates as they left the classroom.

When no one was in the class except for him, Abraham Lincoln Panim took out his lunch and began to eat, and think a bit.

“Maybe I can make a real go at this,” he said. “Maybe I have found something that I can do for a long time.”

Rant #3,655: Have I the Right

I pretty much thought that the deportation of terrorist protest leader Mahmoud Khalil was pretty much a slam dunk, but I guess that in a country where anti-Semitic activities are growing at an alarming rate, even garbage like this has rights that have to be defended.

This trash is an activist who led pro-Palestinian/pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University, targeting Jewish students and the very day-to-day functions of the university.

President Trump wants this rabble rouser deported, but he has a green card and is married to an American woman, so it isnt so easy to get rid of this human refuse.

He has not yet been charged with anything specific. As his case is being argued, he will remain detained in Louisiana following a brief Wednesday court hearing. 

In this country, everyone has the right to protest.

No one is arguing that point in this case.

However, this human excrement led anti-U.S./anti-Israel/anti-Jewish protests on the campus, which were targeted st harassing Jewish students and totally disrupting university operations.

He led protestors--how many of these were actual students is unclear, and this garbage, and many other protestors, might have been paid for their actions--to take over buildings, destroy campus entities with graffiti and other methods of defacement and destruction, and was a very visible presence on campus when the protests gained national attention and spread to other campuses.

And he did all of this on a student visa, and now he has his green card.

The president said that he and others supposedly coming here for an education, but turning to thuggery instead, are not welcome here, and in this case, the person is fully supporting Hamas, which is an organization that the U.S. and many other countries consider to be a terrorist organization--which they certainly proved when they massacred hundreds of Israelis and those from other countries in the episode that provoked the Israel/Hamas war.

Yes, this individual crossed the line, but evidently some imbecile judges believe that that line is a thick one.

So even though this person violated every term of his student visa--be on your best behavior when being allowed to study in an educational institution in the host country--and his green card--do not support terrorists and enemies of your new country--he evidently has rights, and you just can't remove him from our country in one fell swoop.

As his case is being argued, protests have erupted on his behalf, again supporting a terrorist organization and a leader of protests supporting that organization--protests that are anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, and anti everything that makes our country great.

There has been talk that he was on the payroll of some group to do what he has been doing, but so far, that is unproven.

What is more important is thst the vetting of the student visa process has completely broken down, allowing people who do not have any intention of following the rules attached to those visas to enter this country on false pretenses.

I think we must continue to make attempts to remove such trash from our soil. They are taking advantage of our lax system for their own benefit, and they are terrorizing students who actually want to learn in the process.

And yes, they are Hamas groupies through and through, having no clue what they are supporting--and it is bad enough that males support this terrorist group, but the females ... sorry, I don't get it at all.

Do they have any clue how Hamas treats women? As garbage, simply used for procreation purposes and little more ...

And that is at best.

And since this is Women's Month/Women's Empowerment Month, why hasn't the women's movement fully come out against Hamas, how they treat their own women, and what they did to women during the events leading up to the war?

Rape, pillage, torture ... and the women's movement is silent.

Please explain that to me.

This world is sick, very sick, and when terrorists are supported in a democracy by anyone who is here through the graces of our country, you just know that this sickness is widespread--

And the president has the right idea --and also has the right idea about pulling federal funding from Columbia University because of its imaction related to anti-Semitism on campus--even if some people might think what he is doing is wrong.

So as far as I am concerned, this garbage and his followers absolutely have rights--

They have the right to be deported for their actions, and that's about it.

Rant #3,654: Long Day's Journey Into Night

Still feel a bit out of sorts from Monday night, but I have slept well, so I really can't complain.

On my son's job front, I discovered that a major retailer is opening a new store back in my old neighborhood right across the street from the high school.

I called around a bit to the company's national headquarters, and was directed to a local outlet, which transferred me over to another store.

The new store is not yet on the company website, so I was told to contact an existing store and speak to the manager.

I was told the manager would call me back, but aftrr waiting several hours, she never did.

I called them back, finally got to the manager, and she gave me the usual song and a dance about applying online, but in this case, the store isnt even listed, so it is impossible to do.

But I did go on one of those job sites, found a position at that store, and applied for it--at the very same website where nothing, at least to the naked eye, was listed.

Hmmm ... .

I will also give that organization my son is signed up with a few more days to respond, but I know I will have to call them, too.

Somebody else gave us some leads, which I was told had to start with filling out an online application, which of course we did, but it led to nothing.

Another person who is actually in retail told me that no one is hiring right now, and yes, the increase of the minimum wage has something to do with that.

Surprise!

Anyway, that is all that is doing on that front, so all that it translates to is that there is absolutely nothing doing.

Yes, I am tired, and yes, the good feeling experience of the other evening hasn't entirely worn off yet, but like I said in the previous post, it is back to reality now--

And the future doesn't look too promising.

As it always has been, the burden falls on the job seeker to find employment, the job sites generally only advertise a smattering of real jobs, and when you are a special needs person, it is just so much more difficult.

I guess hope springs eternal, but it is nearing spring, and hope is only springing dead ends.

While Elon Musk is firing people left, right and center, my son can't even get a part time, minimum wage job.

There is something way out of kilter here, but what more can we do?

I simply don't know.

I am running put of ideas as my son cuts a deeper rut on the couch.

We haven't given up, but it is so hard to keep one's spirits up in the face of such ignorance.

Been there, done that myself, and it is very, very difficult.

But we are in it for the long haul ...

And it is getting longer by the day.

Rant #3,653: Back On My Feet Again

Attending a WWE event in 2025 is like going to the circus when we were kids.

There's plenty of family members in the audience, and we witness acrobats, clowns, heroes and  villains, all in one ring instead of three.

About the only thing that is different is that the tickets are at least 20 times the price that they were way back when.

And yes, my son and I had a lot of fun at the WWE Raw show at Madison Square Garden last night, just like I had more than 60 years ago when my father and grandfather took me to the circus--

At Madison Square Garden.

No, today's MSG is not the same MSG I went to see the circus in way back when--it is actually the third incarnation of what is called "The World's Most Famous Arena"--and back then, I brought home a little turtle from the circus--

Which my mother promptly flushed down the toilet when we arrived home.

Last night, my son brought home something safer, a wrestling T-shirt, actually two of them ...

Something that my wife won't flush away like my mother did with that poor, little turtle.

I still cringe when I think about it.

But whatever the case, we had a fine time at the WWE show, the first one we had been to in some time.

Even the Long island Railroad station at Penn Station had changed tremendously since we were last there, but once I got my bearings, it was full speed ahead.

I havent walked up and down so many stairs since my injury, never ran so much either, but my physical therapist would have bern proud at how I navigated everything--

Holding onto the bannister, of course, often for dear life.

The show was fun, my ears are raw from all the yelling and screaming and screeching by other attendees around us, but we came out of it relatively unscathed.

Being there, in person, gave us a little time to breathe, exhale, and take it all in.

It was a nice time away from our problems, but now, it is back to reality again.

Pro wrestling isn't reality at all, but it is a nice place to visit every once in a while.

Would I want to live there, though?

I can't pin that answer down yet ...

One, two, three!

Rant #3,652: The Kids Are Alright

The latest on my son's job search ...

We have tried job placement programs for disabled and non-disabled workers, and so far, absolutely nothing has happened.

He has always found his work on his own, and alas, that is probably going to happen again this time, too.

So there you have it.

It isn't pretty, but it is the way things are.

It all makes me quite depressed and upset, because I am powerless to do anything about it.

You really have to have experienced yourself what we are going through to truly understand what is happening.

I think what makes it worse for me personally as his father is that I have been there, done that myself.

I have experienced what it means to be ignored by the workplace when you have so much to give.

And it really stinks.

Tonight, we are going to leave our troubles behind us.

Just before we got the news that my son's work hours had been reduced to next to nothing, he wanted to see a WWE wrestling show live, and tonight, we are going to Madison Square Garden to see Monday Night Raw live and in person.

It will be good for him, taking his mind off the job scene for a few hours.

And it will be good for me, too.

When I lost my job right before the pandemic in late 2019, we had already purchased tickets weeks earlier to see a Knicks game at MSG, and on March 10, 2020, we went to the game--it might have even been March 8, I am not sure--but whatever the case, by March 11--my mom's 89th birthday--the world shut down, and my job prospects went right into the toilet, never to reach the surface again.

But at least for a couple of hours, I was able to forget about it all and have a little fun.

I am hoping tonight's show is as therapeutic as well as being fun ... for both of us.

We are sitting in God's country, but maybe we need some divine intervention in reaching our goal of finding a new job for our son.

The show is on Netflix, so if you decide to tune in, you likely won't see us, but at least you will know that we are having fun, and the job search is on hold, at least for a few hours.

We will survive, and pick things up on Tuesday.

Speak to you then.

Rant 3,651: Nowhere Man

I was just so busy with work yesterday.

I had to cover this conference, and i worked on it all day through about 7:15 p.m. or so, when I called it quits for the night.

And I am still not done with it, so this Rant is going to be short, as I have to get back to work.

I will tell you that i was so knocked out by this work that not only did I pretty much sleep the night, but i even dreamed of one of the main subjects of the conference--

The Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE.

Don't ask. But no, Elon Musk was not part of the dream, thank goodness.

So since this is going to be a short Rant, and while I am still working, how about reading the latest chapter of my novel?

It can't hurt ... can it?

Certainly not as much as my typing fingers do right now.

20

Abraham Lincoln Panim got through that first day, and when his mother arrived home an hour later, she had some good news for him.

“Mr. Praeger will be out for at least the rest of the week, so you are going to sub that class through Friday,” she told him.

“Thanks for letting me know, Mom,” he replied. “I know it is a job, but can I actually have fun while working? Is that something that is OK?”

“Yes it is,” she replied. “If you enjoy your job, if you love your job, it is almost not like a job. It is almost as if you are being paid to do something that you really like to do.”

And the next few days went quickly. He would enter the room, the students would be milling about, and he always saw Melissa talking very actively with a few students surrounding her each and every day.

And each and every day she asked “Mr. Abraham” why he wore a scarf so tightly around his face. And Abraham Lincoln Panim had the same answer for her each and every day: “I don’t want to get sick, because then, you would have a sub for a sub.”

The students didn’t laugh as hard as they did the first time that he said this, but his reply always seemed to quiet the class down, including Melissa, who after hearing his reply, went back to her schoolwork.

The days went by quickly for Abraham Lincoln Panim, and the class was getting to know him better as he was getting to know them.

Mr. Praeger had called in a few assignments for the class to do while he was convalescing, and “Mr. Abraham” and the class got through them.

Melissa and the other students would ask at times why “Mr. Abraham” wore his scarf all the time, but other than that, everything went pretty well with the students.

Although Abraham Lincoln Panim had vowed not to go to the teacher’s room ever again after his previous episode with Mr. Sedall, he decided late in the week to give it another try, and at lunch, he lumbered over to the room, opened the door, and sat in the same place on the same couch that he used during his previous time there.

He just planned to sit there quietly, eat his lunch, and go back to his class after lunch.

Again, a group of teachers were chatting amongst themselves, and again, Mr. Sedall broke away from the group and sat next to “Mr. Abraham” as he had done the previous time.

“You know, it is easier to eat your lunch if you take the scarf off your face,” Mr. Sedall said.

“Well … I keep the scarf on because of germs,” Abraham Lincoln Panim said. “I guess I am something of a—“

“Something of a rat-faced guy?” the teacher asked, as the other teachers in the room laughed as Abraham Lincoln Panim pulled his scarf up even tighter over his face.

“We did some snooping around. You are Mrs. Panim’s kid, and we remember that when you were born, you looked just like a rat,” said the teacher. “Do you still look like that? I guess it is good to be the principal’s son. How else would you get this job, or ANY job?”

The other teachers laughed as Abraham Lincoln Panim got up, took his lunch, and proceeded back to his classroom, entering it, closing the door, and sitting at his desk.

He vowed right then and there, once again, to not tell his mother what had happened, but he learned a lesson:

“I will not go into that room with the other teachers ever again,” he said to himself. “I am going to make this work.”

Friday came, and the day began as any other day did, with the class roll being taken, and more and more students were answering that they were present. “Mr. Abraham” was beginning to recognize names, so even if they didn’t answer, he had a good sense of who was there and who was not.

An extra bonus on this particular Friday was that on Monday, there was no school, as it was a day off leading to several other days off during the winter mid-semester break.

The school would be closed a week, and Abraham Lincoln Panim would have a full week to feel good about what he was doing, and a full week to find out where he was needed in the school next.

Rant #3,650: The Way

President Trump delivered an incredible speech on Tuesday evening, and polls say that more than two-thirds of Americans liked what he said.

The Democrats demonstrated what a nasty bunch most of them really are with their behavior, and the Republicans--whether you believe them or not--seem to be more in tune with our country's needs, wants and desires.

The Democrats showed their true personality when they did not stand up and cheer that young cancer survivor, who was made an  honorary Secret Service agent by the president.

But the president also made a major gaffe, not acknowledging the presence of Israeli citizens who were taken hostage during that horrible situation in the Middle East.

The president acknowledged just about every special guest that was there, but not the Israelis, who went through months of capture and torture until they were finally released.

Some of those present were parents of now dead hostages, some had dual American/Israeli citizenship, and his speech barely spoke about this conflict, only mentioning Israel related to an "Iron Dome" type of protection the president wants for our country, much like the one employed in Israel.

I expected more, but it wasn't coming.

But the Democrats really demonstrated to the country how miserable they are, and they showed maximum disrespect to the president and the process with their collective behavior.

Not that the president's behavior when he lost to Biden was anything to write home about.

In my estimation, while it wasn't a perfect situation, the president said more that I liked than I didn't like--much more, in fact--and now, he has just one, single term to fulfill his many promises.

And the Democrats' rebuttal went over the usual nonsense about the Republicans brown-nosing the rich, but nobody in the chamber on Tuesday night can be called "poor"--not with the salary and the perks they get for being elected to office, and some are extremely wealthy--so this argument is a bogus one.

And perhaps it is time to lessen the belief that yes, our country is very divided; even in the chamber, the Democrats sit on one side, the Republicans on the other.

i have a suggestion to at least make the general public believe that our legislators are in it for the same purpose:

Rather than sit the Democrats on one side and the Democrats on the other, sit the legislators not by party, but by state.

This would enable both Democrats and Republicans to sit side by side with each other, and lessen the belief that both parties are out for their own interests, and not the interests of the American people.

Maybe it will even force them to talk to each other, like the responsible people they are supposed to be.

No, I dont fully trust any of these legislators-Democrats nor Republicans--and that is why I didn't vote for either of their presidential choices.

Yes, I know, my suggestion will never happen, but I think it is a nice thought.

"United we stand, divided we fall."

Rant #3,649: Down Town

This cloud over me gets thicker every day.

We met with one of my son's counselors, and while it was a good conversation, it didn't lead to any solid job leads, although the counselor did say she would look into one possibility and get back to us if anything transpired.

I am still having residual problems with the aftermath of that prostate procedure that I had in November.

I had a bad episide on Sunday afternoon, after weeks of minor problems.

The doctor tells me that what I am going through might not be "visibly" pleasing, but medically, I am OK.

Beyond that, he cannot do anything for me, but I am on pills for an enlarged prostate.

You know, regarding this problem, i don't know which way is up anymore, and I don't know who to believe and to not believe.

I don't have to see this doctor until early June, so I expect to see not only an improvement, but a full recovery during the next three months 

That is what I expect, but it might not be what i get ...

Who knows?

And during the past couple of days, I have experienced an on again/off again pain in my upper teeth on the left side of my mouth.

It comes and goes, but it was coming more than it was going yesterday morning, so I called my dentist, and they told me he had no appointments open until Monday, as he was going away for a few days.

They said they would call back if anything opened up, and happily, an apppintment on Tuesday afternoon became open, so I grabbed it.

Unfortunately, after taking x-rays and visibly checking out my teeth, his belief is that they evidently shifted, putting pressure on that part of my mouth. 

I need a crown, but as with everything in my life, it ain't easy.

I had to come back to the office at a later time yesterday for a cleaning, which the dentist said would remove some of the pressure.

It did not, only making my teeth and that side of my mouth and face even more sore than it was.

It takes four to six weeks to get approval for a crown from my insurance company--what costs they will cover, what costs they won't cover--so I have to wait for a crown--a temporary crown--to be inserted into my mouth, which cannot be done until April.

And then the permanent crown can't be put in my mouth until May--

So this entire procedure is going to take about two and a half months to complete 

And you wonder why I am so miserable.

The only thing going good for me right now is that lesion on my face that was removed a week ago is healing pretty nicely, thank goodness.

I watched most of the President's speech last night. I am no Trump fan at this point in time, but I have to say that that was some speech.

It was more of a pep rally than anything else.

I found myself agreeing with much of what he said, and I do believe that he proved his main point: Joe Biden was a terrible and very weak president, and he let things go that he should have taken care of with America's best interests at heart.

I still have to wonder where people like my family and I fit into all of this.

For instance, he delved very lightly into why groceries are so highly priced, but I don't see any solutions on the horizon in the near future.

He keeps on talking about removing the Social Security tax, but talk appears to ne cheap, as he only has talked about it ... with the myriad of  executive orders he has signed, I don't see the rescinding of the tax among those orders, even though he keeps on bringing the subject up ad infinitum.

But overall, the speech was a good one.

Now, if his speech could really help my wife, my son and myself, that would be something to truly applaud.

But right now with my family and I, it is truly one hand clapping.

Rant #3,648: What, Me Worry?

Another day of nothing ...

But things are going to pick up by the end of the week, as I have another one of those dastardly meetings to cover for work.

I was speaking to my wife over the weekend, and we were talking about our work situations--

As supposedly "retired" people.

My wife actually officially retired, but found that she was bored, but more importantly, missed her weekly paycheck.

Me, I was forced to retire, but have really never stopped working, and probably can't --

And won't, for as long as I can do it.

But we agreed that at this stage of the game, we wish we could really be retired, like other people do, with their only concerns being ...

Well not much, pretty much none at all.

We aren't looking at the jobs we have unkindly; never look a gift horse in the mouth.

But we wish we could just actually be retired, but that doesn't seem to be possible.

In fact, we plan on going on our first vacation in a couple of years later this year, and like the previous two or so vacations we did manage to take, it won't be a "real" vacation for me, as I will have my laptop with me and will have to work for the duration of our time away.

No work, no pay ... this is a vacation?

How ironic that while the two of us wish we could live out our supposed retirement years like we should be doing--as honest to goodness retired people--our son is just looking for a chance at the start of a real career.

It is just so funny, but so sad at the same time.

Again--and I know I have repeated this a million times already--I have no clue what retirement means, no clue at all.

All that I do know is that what I have experienced for the past several years cannot possibly be what retirement is all about.

If you are enjoying your retirement, bully for you.

My wife and I aren't, and we worry about our son and his future employment prognosis--

So what, me worry?

You bet I do, every day, all the time.

Rant #3,647: Another Day

This looks to be a very light week for myself and my son.

There appears to be no job-related appointments for my son this week, but we are always on the lookout for something ... anything ... to obtain better employment for him.

At the end of last week, I signed him up for a job fair based locally, but it isn't until April, and I am hoping that he might have something by then, as he was just approved for one organization's programs, and maybe at long last, they can help him in his job pursuit.

But I kind of think we are in the long haul for this goal, and we are just going to have to grit our teeth and keep our eyes and ears open for any possible leads.

We recently found one, a hotel that is going up near us and should be ready by early summer.

Of course, we had to submit my son's resume online, which we did, but the overall site would not take his information, as its "Submit" button did not work.

I tried to do this on several different devices and through several different browsers, but the site would not accept my son's information.

I cintacted the company about the problem--all I will say is that it is an international hotelier whose name starts with the letter "H"--and they sent me back a form "FAQ" letter which did not adxress, in any way, shape or form, the problem with their site.

i immediately sent them back another communication, where I was a bit more direct, telling them to "stop being so lazy" and getting a technician to fix their site.

They finally got back to me this morning, admitted to the problem with their site, and said they would be working on it and would alert me when the problem was taken care of.

Me, this nobody from Long Island, telling an international hotelier that their site doesn't work--imagine how many people around the world have been as frustrated as I was, but just let it go--

And how many talented people just threw up their hands and gave up.

And how many talented people this company let fall through their fingers because of their utter imbecility.

That being said, even if the site worked to the letter, I also have to be realistic about the whole thing. 

Somewhere around 75 percent of people in my son's special needs category are unemployed, and right now, he is almost lucky to have his one day/four hours of work to go to each week.

But long term, that certainly isn't going to cut it.

My son is 29 years old. He has a lifetime of work ahead of him, if someone will simply give him a chance.

This whole situation is not only unfair, it is upsetting beyond belief.

Special needs people can do so much, and have so much to offer--

If someone would give them a chance.

On the newest season of "Survivor," there is actually a special needs contestant.

She is autistic--which my son is not--but obviously a high performer, and she stated that she tries as best as she can to not let her autism hold her back.

She has told just one other contestant about her affliction--she is worried about the stigma she might exoerience if all the contestants knew--and she has also told him about what to do if she tells him that she is overwhelmed--hold her hands tight.

It will relieve whatever pressure she might have.

As I said, my son is not autistic, but he does have some other things to deal with.

Since he has been working since he is 15 years of age, one thing he shouldn't be worrying about is finding a job.

Maybe Elon Musk can take a break from firing so many seemingly competent people and find places for people like my son to work.

I think that that would show just how "efficient" he really is.