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 What the heck am I doing today? Shenanigans, General Tomfoolery or What? You never know |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be too long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
Shred Day It's been an active day for me so far, and I'm beat! The early morning was typical; feed the dogs and relax a little. But today is Shred Day! The city does the residents well in this regard. At a local Credit Union Parking lot, a line of cars forms, and on the streets around it too. A Truck with a paper shredder is there to receive the amount of paper you may have. I had three plastic grocery bags because we did not do this in November or December. But, a man runs the truck, and immediately shreds the paper you drop off. Just drop them off into a large trash can, except this can has never had trash in it. When it's full, he dumps it into the truck, and the shredding starts. We 'donate' any receipts, bills any paper we don't wish to save. Of course we check the receipts before this day arrives, sort of like balancing your checkbook. It really is a nice benefit for residents of the city. The nice thing is, you don't have to show ID to verify you're a resident! Anyone from the area can drop their paper waste off. After that, I picked up breakfast for us from a Denny's Diner. Not a lot going on now though. I will be watching the Seahawks - 49er's game tonight (in SF). Gotta watch it since I'm a Hawks fan. I'm not fanatic about them, but they are my preferred team. Them, the Lions, and Browns. I prefer to root for underdog teams. I don't like Major Market teams like the Rams, Cowboys, Patriots, or Bears. (I won't go into my aversion for the Bears here, it might end up being a book!)! I'd love to see the Lions play the Browns in a Super Bowl. That won't be happening for a while I think. So other than being a Hawks fan, why will I watch it? Because the winner of the game is the NFC West Champion and will earn a first-round bye into the playoffs next week. The loser will be the 5 seed (if Seahawks lose), the 6 seed if the 49ers lose (I think the LA Rams hold a tie-breaker over the 49ers). It's a significant game, I would love to see it. |
Life Has Passed Me By Life has sort of passed me by. This is not a negative thing, it's just the way things are. I'm not up with the current 'new' things. Heck, the only Social Media site I'm on is Facebook! No Tik-Tok, no Instagram, no Pinteredt. nothing. Heck, even the LinkedIn account I had while working is dormant Why? Because I don't feel I need it. Like the old saying goes, "You snooze, you lose." The other way I know life has passed me by is in seeing ads on my computer, tablet, and phone. If elderly people are in an ad, they're usually shown to not know how to use a computer or phone. Downtrodden, forgotten by their children. A lot of that. Younger adults (20's or 30 somethings) are showcased, and they are always affluent! This is not representative of the American people. First, how many of us here in WDC are affluent? Secondly, how many of you would be someone an ad agency would want in their ad? It's just that once in a while, I'd like to see 'real Americans' in an ad. Not actors, not ones who are handsome or pretty. That was the initial attraction of Roseanne when it aired. That changed quickly, didn't it? I know, I know. It's all based on metrics, and what the Networks & Ad agencies feel we should see. Do they ever ask us though? I can say I've never been asked. Then again, it's not done verbally. Those things called 'Cookies' are what feed your views. Go ahead, click on an ad. The next thing you know, you're being inundated with similar ads, or more of the same. Those cookies leave behind small tracks (for lack of a better analogy) that tell other sites you were there. That implies an interest in the site contents, which leads to similar ads, or more ads from the same site. It's just life, as the saying goes. I'm certain I'm not the first one to complain about something like this. Nor will I be the last. On a brighter note, Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year is everything you want it to be. Love to you all. |
Auld Lang Syne I bet many of us have sang this old tune many times. How many of you know the lyrics for each verse? Haw many of you knew there were more than one verse? Most importantly, what are we singing about? What does it all mean? Well, let's look into those thoughts. First, a little bit about this old folk song. The text is a Scots-language poem that was not written by Robert Burns. He collected the lyrics collected and formalized the lyrics around 1788, basing them on older folk songs to preserve Scottish culture and language. In 1799 it was set to a traditional pentatonic tune, which has since become standard. We know the first verse, what about the rest of it? Lyrics, first in Scottish, then English. Scottish Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus: For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup! and surely I'll be mine! And we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae run about the braes, and pou'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary fit, sin' auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae paidl'd in the burn, frae morning sun till dine;[c] But seas between us braid hae roar'd sin' auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! and gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak' a right gude-willie waught, for auld lang syne. Chorus English Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you'll buy your pint cup! and surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We two have run about the hills, and picked the daisies fine; But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. Chorus We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give me a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. Chorus What it all boils down to is this. We sing this old song in remembrance of the past. The past year (New Years Eve especially), but at many other times also. As well as celebrating the New Year, "Auld Lang Syne" is very widely used to symbolise other "endings/new beginnings" – including farewells, funerals (and other memorials of the dead), graduations, the end of a (non-New Year) party, jamborees of the Scout Movement, the election of a new government, the last lowering of the Union Jack as a British colony achieves independence and as a signal that a retail store is about to close for the day. Now you know more about Auld Lang Syne than you did before, as well as knowing when you may hear it sung. |
It's a Dex Day! Yay! It's pretty sad to know that you look forward to taking a Steroid (Dex = Dexamethasone). But I do, because it takes away the aches and pains of old age for me, and they be gone until at least Thursday. That means I won't sleep on our Love Seat tonight! I take it once a week and during my last visit with Dr. Sriratana (pronounced Si-Rot-tina), he lowered my dosage from 8 mg to 4 mg. I started taking it at 12 mg, it was lowered to 8 mg when I entered Remission. One side effect of it is Insomnia. That's still there no matter the dosage it seems. Since my aches and pains are temporarily gone, I can sleep in the bed tonight! Let me explain about the Love Seat though, since I'm betting many of you wonder about me sleeping on it. Our Love Seat is electrically powered. You can raise your feet only, lay back in by raising your feet while leaning the upper portion back, or recline by leaning the upper portion only back. All done by a hand held controller. When I sleep on it, I recline the upper portion and raise my feet. I don't lean back as far as it will go, but it's close. This allows me to lie back, and provides relief for my left leg, hip, or lower leg. I can't get relief in bed, there's always a pressure point or position that causes pain. Not a significant amount of pain, just enough to prevent falling asleep. Plus, with all the tossing and turning I do trying to find a comfortable position keeps Kathy awake, or wakes her if she's asleep. As a result, I choose the Love Seat. She does not 'kick me' out of bed, so to speak. I want to say though, no matter what, Life Is Good! |
| Back To The Same Ol' Stuff Here I am, back to the same ol' stuff. What stuff you ask? Well, I'll tell you, as I hang my head in shame... Remember that back surgery I had in October, and after it I said, "The surgery was a success! My back pain is gone!"? Well, I spoke too soon. The pain has returned, but it's not in the same place in my back, so maybe you can count the surgery as a success. I've spent the last 2 nights sleeping on our love seat (Thank God it's a powered love seat too!), I moved to it in the middle of the night because I didn't want my tossing and turning to wake Kathy, or keep her awake as the case may be. And yeah, the pain has been the Sciatica nerve the past couple of nights. So maybe it is in the same place. I'll tell you, it's hard to say where it's at, at times. I do know I cannot get comfortable enough to fall asleep, even after taking Tylenol, Tylenol-PM, Tylenol-III, or Tramadol. No, I don't take them together, I take one or the other. Nothing has really done the job so far. I just realized I haven't tried taking the muscle relaxer I was prescribed, Tizanidine. It's okay though, I have the Love Seat standing by tonight, and every night really. The problem with taking those pain killers is this. They are not a cure for the cause of the pain. I consider them a 'bandaid' fix. But hey, I have to get some rest somehow, right? On a completely different subject, we opened the house for a couple of hours today. Yep, middle of December and we opened the front door, with storm door shut, the window covering the screen down some to let fresh air in. We like doing this about once a month to bring fresh air in. Who am I kidding? We opened the house up because the outside temp was 64! The doors are closed now, the temp is dropping to about 15 tonight. Brrrrr. It's 32 right now, so having it closed back up is a good thing. Still, it was nice having the place opened for a little bit. It will be cold tomorrow too. We wanted to get it open while we could because it might be March before we can open it again. |
Another Day Dawns After Monday's small health scare, today seems like another typical day. Things are as normal as can be concerning my health. That's not to say I'm healthy, wealthy, and wise. Far from it. It's like another normal day to me. I have those aches and pains though, they are a bit like friends you can't lose. A reminder that I'm alive and somewhat well. If I were to offer anyone a piece (or pieces) of advice to anyone, it would be this. 1. Learn to listen to your body. It will tell you if all's well, or what might need attention. As you age, it will speak to you more and more. Sometimes it will shout. So listen to it! 2. Remain active. Do not become the Couch Potato I was during 2021. It was during COVID and I was at home through June because of the cough. After being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in April, that was changed to remaining at home until my Oncologist said I could travel. That meant I was confined to our house (essentially). Wit me home all the time, we went out for dinner, we shopped, and, we rapidly became very spoiled. I should have, and could have walked far more than I did. So if you're active now, remain that way. Trips to the gym aren't necessary, but being active in some way is. 3. Watch your diet! I should talk I know, but watch what you eat. I won't pound the health food gavel here, far from it. I will say that you should eat natural foods, not pre-processed stuff. You know, things like canned foods (buy fresh vegetables), jars of pasta (make your own, even if it starts with canned Tomatoes), make homemade meals in other words. Again, I should take my own advice. Doing these small things will greatly improve or maintain your health. That is what it's all about, right? That, and LOVE. |
| One Of Those Days Have you ever had one of 'those' days that isn't a normal day for you? That was my day this morning. The day started much like any other day really. I woke, went to the bathroom, and that's where it became a different day. Before I say what has been different about it, let's give you a little background on things. I have suffered from back pain since that surgery in October. It has been centered over an area near my left kidney. I've told the doctors this during every visit, nothing was said or done about it. As a result, I figured I had strained something in that area early on. Last night I awoke for a 'middle-of-the-night' bathroom break. I do that most every night. Except this time, I turned the light on. I noticed that my urine stream, weak as it was (this was unusual), had not really mixed in well(?)(that's not the correct wording I know, it's the only thing that comes to mind right now). Instead, the urine had gone into the water in the bowl, went to the bottom, where it stayed, still together. It was darker than normal too. Still.... back to bed I went. The same thing happened twice more during the night. Each time it didn't feel like my bladder had emptied fully. I know, I know. TMI. Necessary info for what happened in the morning though. As I said, a different day when I went to the bathroom after waking up. Because this time when I urinated, it was way different in looks. Let's just say it splattered on the side of the bowl, dark red in color. I knew what that meant, and prepared to head to Prompt Care near the airport. Once there, I needed to provide a Urine sample of course. I'd planned on that. The results were 'Abnormal' in almost every field. I wasn't surprised. The Physician's Assistant told me I had a UTI, perhaps even a kidney infection, and prescribed an antibiotic. I'm happy to say that after just one dose, everything's back to normal. Whew! And that pain in my back near my kidneys? Significantly less. Only time will tell in that regard. I hope you've had a great day yourself. Take care of yourself, and stay warm. |
Our Drive To Chicago And Other Places Yesterday we drove to the Great Lakes Navy Exchange to pick up my wife's prescription. Why drive there, could we get it at a local CVS Pharmacy? Yep, but they would charge us quite a bit for it, more than $100 most likely. We get it for no-charge at the Navy Exchange for no charge. Why? Because I retired from the Navy after spending 20 years serving my country. Anyway, about the trip. We left about 9 am, and returned home about 8 pm. What? Eleven hours just to get to the Navy Exchange and back, at most a 6.5 to 7 hour drive? Well, we also went to Edgerton, Wisconsin to get a bunch of Pheasant Necks for the dogs. Add in a stop for breakfast and dinner .... It just adds up is all. The drive itself was uneventful, nice and smooth. However, we saw only 3, maybe 4 planes approaching O'Hare. I've never seen the skies so devoid of planes. Maybe it was the time of day. I told Kathy that the pilots were all on Lunch Break. Honestly, I suspect it's how the airlines handle flights. Spacing them out at mid-day. The morning rush is over, the afternoon rush will begin soon, as a result, fewer planes landing or taking off. Still, it was a little strange not seeing a lot of planes on approach to O'Hare. The drive home from Wisconsin was long, so it seemed. I'll admit I was pretty tired. We stopped once so I could walk around some, grab a cup of coffee, whatever. We took our brown van on this trip, not the more comfortable Camper Van. It's in the shop getting the spare tire replaced. When we bought this, it came 'as is', and had no jack, lug wrench, or the tool needed to lower the spare tire from the Undercarriage. Imagine my surprise when the shop called me and said there was an adapter missing from the kit! A new kit, and it's missing an adapter. The instructions are included with it, apparently the instructions mention the adapter. It's stored in the shop for now. Monday I'll take it to a different shop for a minor repair. The van has no heat! The thermostat works fine, the engine gets warm, it has the proper amount of radiator coolant, but it has no heat. Apparently this repair (beyond the capability of this shop) requires the Dashboard to essentially be disassembled because the flapper valve is stuck in the AC position. Wow...  But dang it, we need heat if I want to drive it this time of year. There's a small chance, very small, that we'll head south in it come January or February. She also wants to use it to its full capability, which means going camping, or not getting a hotel room some nights when we're on the road. We'll see.What's left to do? Figure out that spare tire issue, replace the radio, make sure the new radio has a backup cam. Talk about adding up .... Yeah, the price we paid, plus these repairs/additions. |
Believe It Or Not, I'm Getting A Refund! I thought I was 'above being scammed', above all the heartache that accompanies that. I've used the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true!" So why didn't I keep that in mind when I saw this online ad to buy one set of outdoor chairs, get a second set free? At least I wasn't out a lot of money. Still, it's the principle of the thing.... Allow me to explain. Long ago, back in dinosaur times... okay, not that long ago, but it was around the time that I retired for good, May 2, 2025. I saw the ad as I mentioned already, and I bit. It wasn't until July or so that I realized I hadn't received any emails about them being shipped. I sent an email, and that my friends, is where the journey begins. Now first of all, I will tell you that these came from China. There's nothing wrong with buying anything from China. At the same time, don't expect to receive good customer service from a site based in China. You can't call, and though their use of written English was excellent, I do wonder if they speak it as well as they write it. Also, every email was addressed to Dear Customer, and was from a different person. Anyway, back to the long journey. The response to my first inquiry was that my 'product' had been delivered about 2 weeks prior. That was a lot of bull. I was home the whole time, but never received anything. I questioned how FedEx and UPS could deliver packages, but their courier couldn't make the delivery? So, they sent a second set. That too never arrived. There was a third delivery, as well as a fourth, fifth, and to be honest, I lost count. Needless to say, I never received those chairs. Remember, this all started in May or June (at the latest), it's now December. I was offered a $5 rebate on it and turned it down. Now I like to think it takes a lot to really get under my skin, but these people did. I ended up accusing them of being Scammers, and would write them every day demanding a full refund. Today I was informed that they would give me a 75% refund, which I accepted. It will be $40 (and change) credited to my account. But, how frustrating has this been? You can't begin to imagine, I will say that! Still, once I see the credit to my account, the journey is over. |
| Reading, Reading, Reading This will be a short entry today. It's the size of entry I'd love to stick to. It is so good to read an actual book again! As I might have mentioned in the Newsfeed, I've started reading The Mote In God's Eye, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.. I thought I remembered reading, but a couple of things tell me my mind is remembering wrong. First, it was published in 1974, the year I reported to my first Submarine. Being new onboard, about the only reading I had time for would have been reading what was necessary to qualify (earn my dolphins or on Watchstations). Second, I've read a few chapters, and nothing, absolutely nothing is familiar so far. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know. I'm pretty excited about reading The Mote In God's Eye because almost all of my reading today is done online. My intention is to read more, I have quite a few books here to read, I know I want to read The Complete Works Of O' Henry, and my older copy of The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer. Also, after seeing in the Newsfeed that Lilli ☕  had awarded "No More Ghosts"  an awardicon, I knew I had to read it too. It's S🤦♂️  's Anniversary month, if you feel you should read it, send him an Anniversary Review! I don't think the "Anniversary Reviews" is counting those reviews yet, but man it's always nice to receive one! I was so impressed with the story that I too sent it an Awardicon. I don't send Awardicons very often, but this story really deserved one. |
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