Archive for the ‘Just Saying’ Category
I feel so blessed today. In less than two weeks I survived the Storm of the Century and then almost immediately I survived that asteroid that just missed us. I’m a bit of a science nerd and will read anything remotely related to NASA or space travel. I was certainly intrigued when the announcement was made a few weeks ago that an object of this size would do the closest fly-by of the earth ever recorded.
I know just enough about our government and it’s propaganda arm to be a little concerned and skeptical when they say there was no chance of a collision. In my opinion if they were aware that a collision was imminent they wouldn’t tell us anyway. Anarchy and panic would certainly occur if that kind of an announcement were ever made.
So I sat patiently before my TV watching the asteroid live and in black and white as it zoomed on by almost directly over Indonesia. The NASA channel in it’s continuously boring fashion with absolutely no sound and with unrecognizable pictures did nothing to put my mind at ease. After the meteor strikes over Russia the previous day I wasn’t completely convinced we had nothing to worry about.
I suppose the day will arrive eventually when a huge one will hit us and I pray it’s thousands of years from now when technology will hopefully make it a non-problem. I’m not sure about many things but I’m reasonably confident that it will occur someday. I sure hope I’m not around to see it.
Enough about the damn asteroid. How about hearing some completely boring and useless information about my returning again to my remodeling project. I finally reframed the new opening that will eventually lead into my bedroom and I left the drywall intact to keep the dirt and dust from filling the rest of the house. One more bit of framing on the closet and I’ll be ready to begin hanging dry wall. I’ve been taking my time with this damn project but I’m still ahead of the schedule I set for myself. I just wish working with drywall wasn’t so messy. I spend more time cleaning up than actually constructing anything.
I also spent a couple of hours going through a few hundred photographs taken during the last snow storm. Some of them are very cool especially those showing my better-half on her maiden voyage with that big red snow thrower. I caught that look of sheer panic on her face as she began and later the big smile on her face as she conquered her fears and really started enjoying herself. Pretty damn cool if I do say so myself. I used the first photo as my new screensaver because it makes me smile every time I see it.
We’re having visitors tonight with one of them being the new grand child. Eat dinner, a few games of Hearts, and some quality time with the little guy. Not too bad at all.
Valentines Day is over as I write this and we’ve had a great day. My better-half had the day off so we spent the first few hours in bed this morning exchanging cards and gifts and making good use of our quality time. It’s more difficult than I ever thought it would be to have time together. Her schedule makes it somewhat difficult but we’re dealing with it.
Being the loving person that I am I then volunteered to make us a breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, coffee, and a jar of our home made rhubarb jam. It really started the day off right and gave us a chance to catch up on a host of other matters. We’re trying to make plans for an interesting vacation this summer, where to go, for how long, and all of the other preparations that need to be discussed.
We spent the remainder of the day running errands and just having fun together. We picked up groceries for our evening meal and returned home late in the afternoon. Our late dinner consisted of two excellent steaks, a pile of fried onions, a huge salad, and a bottle of pretty decent wine. We then retired to the living room to watch a new movie I just received as a Valentines Day gift. I laughed until I cried as "Ted" took over our reality for a couple of hours. For me there is nothing better than lot of laughter and we enjoyed the hell out of that movie. She had to be at work at 5:30 am so she was off to bed soon after the movie ended.
I planned to remain awake for just another hour or so to give her a chance to get to sleep and was able to read five or six chapters of a new book I just started. The cat arrived in the living room at his regularly scheduled time, climbed up on the chair, and wished me a Happy Valentines Day in his own weird feline way. He also let me know in no uncertain terms that it was time for bed. I opened the bedroom door and he immediately joined her there.
I ended up reading for quite a while and before I knew it it was 2:00 am. I completed a quick check of the house. picked up a glass of wine, and walked out onto the front deck for a few minutes. It was really cold but the night was crystal clear. I sat for a while on a small bench we left out for these occasions and enjoyed the cold air and the absolute quiet. One of the joys of living in a rural area is the total lack of human background noise which we can only hear if the wind shifts in just the right direction. The cat stuck his nose out the door but refused to join me. I thought someone with a nice thick fur coat like his wouldn’t be put off by the cold all that much but he was. He casually returned to the bedroom to enjoy his most favorite thing, the electric blanket. He was down for the night finally.
All things considered it was a really wonderful Valentines Day. I hope we have many more just like it.
It’s still February, it’s still cold, and I still hate advertisements. Not just a minor dislike but a really white hot hate. Why is it necessary that every building in every city that’s large enough to house a sporting event have a corporate sponsor. I’m starting to believe that the American businesses are doing a lot better than we’ve been told. Spending millions of dollars a year to have your name on an arena would piss me off a great deal if I were a stockholder.
So it’s February, the month with some really lame observances and a couple of so-so holidays. Since my complaint today is with advertisers I must of course mention the upcoming Presidents Day. I love that we still remember and celebrate our founding fathers, Lincoln, Washington, and others. It just seems to me that we’re getting a little redundant with these things. If we have a Presidents Day why is there a need for individual observances for just a few. I’m realize that if we tried to eliminate Presidents Day every car salesman in the country would march on Washington. It could be called The Million Salesmen March of 2013.
I wonder if our Presidents ever gave any thought to just how their likenesses and names would be prostituted for the good of the automobile industry and others. The term “spinning in their graves” immediately comes to mind.
Now to the meat of this posting. I was sitting at home last night minding my own business and attempting to watch one minute of TV without some annoying ad being shoved in my face. Leave it up to some of our sneaky yet loveable Japanese businessmen to come up with this idea. A car commercial for Honda where they have George Washington and Abraham Lincoln singing their theme song as a duet. To say it was disrespectful and tasteless is an understatement. I wonder how those same Japanese businessmen would feel if we used the images of a few of their emperors to sell Domino’s Pizza or possibly women’s feminine products.
Have we in this country become so greedy that nothing is sacred. That was rhetorical because we already know the answer. The United States is losing it’s integrity and it’s soul. We will disrespect absolutely anything regardless of it’s importance to make a buck. Greed is a terrible thing and it’s something that infects almost all of us. Money, Money, Money!
I could go on and on with this but it’s pointless. You already know that its true because you’ve been raised with it and think it’s the norm. I’m here to tell you it’s not. Paying millions of dollars for a minute of Super Bowl time is outrageous and insidious all at the same time. Everywhere you look are ads. On every building, wall, road sign, and of course TV. Thirty percent or more of your TV time is paid advertisements.
Propaganda and brainwashing are frowned upon when it’s a government or a religious cult doing it but totally permissible for every business in this country. We’re at the point where most of the music we walk around humming are commercial theme songs. They’ve taken many of our greatest oldies and turned them into something they were never meant to be. Shame and them and double shame on us for putting up with it.
My rant is over and I wish February was over too.
It’s Valentines Day Eve Eve and I think it’s time to take a closer look at our “Day of Love”. Let’s see, how about some facts on what it will cost you to make the love of your life smile this year. First a little history and then we’ll explore the anticipated costs of your love. for that special person in your life.
The history of Valentines Day goes way back:
- The roots of St. Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year. (This is a lottery you don’t want to lose.)
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In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They’d wear these names on their sleeves for one week. Today, to wear your heart on your sleeve means being open and demonstrative with your affections. (A little bit of trivia for you.)
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The Catholic Church struck St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969. (Leave it up to the church to be on top of such sinful behavior.)
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The phrase "Sweets for the sweet" is a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1. (I knew reading Shakespeare would pay off some day.)
Never underestimate the power of the almighty dollar. With continuous aggressive campaigns from both greeting card companies and candy manufacturers we don’t stand a freaking chance. Their drumbeat of Valentines Day propaganda has created such a financial windfall they’re forced to keep it going for the survival of their companies. Who pays the bill? Mostly we men do. Here’s the financial estimates":
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Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by kids, mothers, wives and sweethearts.
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Over 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday.
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One billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines (What a surprise!).
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More than one-third of men would prefer not receiving a gift. Less than 20 percent of women feel the same way.
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Around this season, a dozen long-stemmed roses can cost an average of $75, or about 30% more than the normal price of $58. (It’s just a coincidence the costs increase every February.)
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More than nine million pet owners are expected to buy gifts for their pets this Valentine’s Day. (Morons!)
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15 percent of U.S. women (just the losers) send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine’s Day money making machine also effects many other connected businesses who need to keep this holiday on everyone’s mind.
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According to the condom company Durex, condom sales are highest around Valentine’s Day, which are 20 percent to 30 percent higher than usual.
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More at-home pregnancy tests are sold in March than in any other month.
While the men in the US seem to pay a majority of the Valentines Day expenses my sympathies go out to the Japanese as well. In Japan, women are expected to give chocolate and other gifts to their men on Valentine’s Day. This tradition was started as a marketing campaign by a number of Japanese chocolate companies, of course. Men aren’t off the hook though, they’re expected to return the favor to their ladies on March 14th, commonly known as White Day.
I hope this helps put Valentines Day into it’s proper perspective for you. If you follow the unspoken rules laid down by years of tradition and retail propaganda you’ll get to see that big smile on your loved ones face for a least a day.
Happy Valentines Day
Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! This is the month where we celebrate the life and death of Abraham Lincoln. One of the most challenged presidents who won a war but eventually lost his life to a assassin.
The people in this country hold those presidents killed in office close to their hearts. John Kennedy is another perfect example. Over the decades many comparisons have been drawn between Lincoln and Kennedy. The following information has been around for many years and has fascinated almost everyone who’s read it. I post it on or about the same time every year and reading it again still puzzles and amazes me. Read it yourself and then tell me how it’s possible for these facts to be true.
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners.
Both successors were named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Kennedy."
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln."
Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
Over the years I’ve investigated thousands of criminal cases and the one thing that remained constant was rule #1 as taught to me by the men who trained me, “there are no coincidences”. If that remains true then I have no explanation whatsoever as to the above facts. Do you?
Tonight I’m sitting alone in my bedroom writing this posting because I’ve been officially banished from the living room by my better-half. I suppose this is my punishment for refusing to watch the red carpet nonsense prior to the Grammy’s.
This is what happens every year and believe me I accept this isolation gladly. My life has never been so boring that I need a night of Beyoncé, Jayzee, Jennifer Lopez, and all of the other alleged musical geniuses. I’d make two exceptions if I could. If someone could arrange to have Taylor Swift and/or Katy Perry stop at my place tonight I’d do everything in my power to keep them entertained. To quote a old song I that I love: “wishing and hoping, singing and praying, planning and dreaming. . .
Today was a bit of a let down after the weekend storm but everything is business as usual in the area. It doesn’t take long for people living in Maine to bounce back because we’re used to a lot of snow and are well prepared to handle it. I guess it’s always a good thing to have a few days of excitement. It keeps things interesting and gives us a few war stories for the next year or two.
I finished making and canning my batch of Tropical Salsa this morning. I thought it was pretty good but it isn’t officially edible until approved by my better-half. If I can get her to actually admit she likes it then I’m golden. I’ll be sending a few samples around tomorrow to some friends for what will be a brutal but honest evaluation. I really think it will make an excellent side dish for quite a few of our sea food dishes.
Now that I have a few hours of quiet time thanks to the Grammy’s I can do some reading. I decided I wanted to read something with a story that’s long, detailed, and in depth. So I’m going to retread the trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson which is a complex set of lengthy mysteries totaling approximately 2180 pages. The first book has received a lot of press in recent months with a movie already made. The books are; The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. I first read the stories last summer but didn’t take the time to really enjoy them. This time I’ll read it slowly and really savor the incredible details of the stories and their characters. That should keep me reading until the winter is just about over.
I’m planning a tour of the general area tomorrow to take a few photos and walk the beaches for a while. I can get a better idea of just how bad the storm was and hopefully document some of the damage.
It’s a cold night and I’m snuggled in a warm bed with my IPad. Very nice.
This posting was written about my activities yesterday but I‘m was late getting it posted due to todays activities. More information tomorrow about that but today we have 33 inches on the ground as of noon with another 6-8 expected before this mother of a storm winds down. Back to yesterday.
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Well we’re fully prepared for this storm or I hope we are. We’ve got six inches on the ground with a lot more to come. My better-half decided we needed to run out for a few things before it got too much worse. I can’t believe I agreed to it but I did.
Traffic is still pretty heavy with people shopping for a few last minute necessities. The shelves of the store looked like a gang of barbarians were shopping there. I was looking for guava and papaya and even that was almost sold out. I guess the first thing you go for before a huge snow storm are cans of tropical fruit. The place was packed with people buying all the bread, milk, and toilet paper the media has been telling them they need.
I mistakenly thought by buying only four items I could run in and right back out. Who’s the moron now? That would be me of course. I was twenty-first in line at the 20 items or less register. I had to wait an additional twenty minutes while the twenty people ahead of me with their filled carts checked out. Thank God I’m a calm person and not some pissed off crazed postal worker. It could have been really ugly.
Well, we’re back home now without incident and the snow is picking up somewhat. The better-half is dealing with the storm like she does with everything else, she’s baking cookies. I have no idea why and I’m certainly not going to ask. I can’t say too much to her since I’m in the process of preparing my ingredients to make a tropical salsa which should look pretty, taste wonderful, and have enough heat to get your attention.
It’s later now and I just returned from my third snow-blowing effort to keep the driveway as clear as possible. Each time I’ve removed four or five inches of snow and I’m hoping against hope that we don’t get buried with what’s coming later tonight and early tomorrow morning. The wind is picking up and it’s too cold to stay out for too long. I’ll make one more pass at eleven and I’ll be off off to bed.
Tomorrow morning will be interesting. The neighborhood hasn’t lost power so that’s a plus. Now I can catch a few hours of sleep and dream about snow.
Just sitting around today waiting for the next uppercut from Mother Nature who is sending another huge snow storm our way. I sure hope those alleged weathermen and women are wrong but you know how that goes. When they say it will be sunny and fair they’re almost always wrong. When they say it will sleet or snow, they’re almost always right. If we get the 16-24 inches they’re predicting it will be a long few days of snow blowing, shoveling, and waiting for the roads to be cleared.
Yesterday’s posting seems to have struck a nerve in some quarters. Closest to home my better-half was less than thrilled about being mentioned in what she thought was a somewhat derogatory manner. I kept trying to explain to her that every time I refer to her in a post, it’s complimentary. She just doesn’t realize after all of our time together when I ‘m being serious and when I’m being funny. She’s thinks I should be more careful when discussing our personal life but I just can’t seem to help myself. Our life together is great but at times it’s also hysterically funny. She’s either purposely giving me a bad time or she’s all of a sudden lost her sense of humor. Truthfully I think she’s trying to be sarcastic and hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet. She’s a sarcastic work in progress.
I had a great half hour of meditation this afternoon (as described yesterday) which always makes me feel terrific. My cat has picked up the habit of climbing onto the meditation platform (couch) while I’m meditating (napping) and stretching out to his full length and purring like crazy. That tells me he’s found his "happy place" which is probably somewhere near the Portland fish market. He so loves his seafood.
We both then retired to my man-cave for an hour of tax preparation. After a great deal of bitching and profanity the cat left in a huff as I finally e-filed my returns. That damn cat’s getting way too sensitive in his old age and needs to lighten up a little. There was a time when he would only respond to "Hey Dumb Ass", so I just don’t get his recent snotty attitude. I suppose he’s just feeling the "tax time" pressures vicariously through me. Dumb ass cat.
I would also like to send out a quick thank you to a few of my newest followers. Welcome to the blog that’s just “full of it”. I hope you enjoy your visits here and come back as often as possible. Thanks go out to: hayleyhobson, happsters, evanstang, puravidaeh, craftedincarhardtt, russelldeasley, hollisplample, and silkroadcollector. If the rest of you get a chance please give their blogs and profiles a look see. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.
I guess it’s time for me to gas up the snow thrower and begin preparations for the storm that’s scheduled to start sometime early tomorrow. Winter in Maine is a trip but I never said it was always a good trip.
I have a huge and life effecting announcement to make today. My better-half has renewed her gym membership and is again on the road to physical improvement. Poor Planet Fitness may never be the same again. I especially love her analysis of their programs when she returns home after each visit. Her fashion review and critique of all the new outfits being worn by her peers is always soooooo exciting.
I’ve noticed over the years that we humans are a strange and peculiar bunch. Not only do we need to have a modicum of physical exercise to stay healthy but we’ve got to look good doing it. You see it in the groups of early morning mall walkers. Huge numbers of senior, prego’s, and misfits arrive at the mall in their power walking uniforms. They’ve created their own little subculture of weirdly dressed individuals marching in unison around malls all across the country. Most seem more interested in the socializing aspect than the walking.
The same phenomenon is happening in gyms around the country. Cutesy little outfits being worn by what for the most part are folks with issues of weight and bad taste. I decided long ago that to do Pilates properly I’d need to spend a few hundred dollars on wildly colored outfits and OMG, special exercising sneakers, just to fit in. Why is it that we need a uniform for any and all activities we participate in. It’s imperative that we look better than all of the other masochists because weight loss all of a sudden becomes the secondary goal.
Our society has slowly but surely become infatuated with weight loss, exercising, and various forms of meditation techniques. I agree that something is necessary to fight this epidemic of obesity but we’re bombarded with a constant stream of programs like the Biggest Loser along with dozens of early morning hour long commercials for exercise techniques like Zumba and Insanity. It really is insane.
I recently considered giving Yoga a try but after pricing a new outfit, new sneakers, and a rather expensive Yoga mat, I had to let it go. Not only was I expected to deal with pulled muscles and many stiff and sore body parts but I had to invest a substantial sum to do it. I was forced by circumstance to develop my own meditation technique which I’ll explain in detail momentarily.
My technique is simple to do and requires much less actual physical activity. You won’t need any special equipment of any kind and if done properly you’ll have no additional costs. It can be done in any living room or bedroom in less that a half hour and clothing is optional. Let me take you through the process.
Step 1
Remove as much clothing as you’re comfortable with and stand in the middle of the room. Close your eyes and stand erect thinking only of your "happy place". Once you’ve arrived there you can begin to breath deeply and slowly.
Step 2
Take any old blanket or afghan and lay it across the divan, sofa, bed, or floor where you’ll be most comfortable. All the while maintaining your trance-like state in your "happy place".
Step 3
Assume a prone position on that covering with your legs straight out and your arms at your side. Very quietly hum to yourself the song "Desperado".
Step 4
Maintaining your trance-like state is crucial at this point. Slowly take an alarm clock and set the alarm for twenty minutes and set it aside.
Step 5
Very slowly pull a second cover over yourself. Breath deeply and slowly for 1 minute and then TAKE A FREAKING NAP.
Follow the instructions closely and complete them at least four times a week. I guarantee you’ll feel better about yourself and others almost immediately. You can also play background music of your choice but not very loudly.
I explained my meditation system to my better-half but she was no help. She thought it was stupid and ridiculed me a little longer than I thought was necessary. She stated emphatically that having sex until you drop was a much better way to go than my plan.
We agreed to disagree.
Don’t you just love the month of February? We get to celebrate Ground Hog Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Valentines Day, and of course this year, Super Bowl Sunday. I wish I had all of the money spent preparing for and the celebration of a stupid football game. Do I sound like a sports hater? I’m not exactly sure but I think I just may be one.
I played a great deal of sports in my life and thoroughly enjoyed all of those activities. I had a great deal of success in my endeavors with Little League Baseball, Pony League Baseball, High School Baseball, Basketball and Football, American Legion Baseball, Semi-Pro Baseball, Racquetball, Bowling, and others I’ve probably forgotten. I’m not bragging but trying to show many of the reasons why I should be a screaming and hollering fanatic for all sports. Why is it that that watching sports except for possibly Little League Baseball is like getting my teeth drilled without Novocain.
As a younger man I often got caught up in following the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers and considered myself a loyal fan. That being said, I hate watching their games even when they’re winning. I’ve never been able to admit my dislike of watching sports because my father would have disowned me. He was an avid fan of most sports and was quite the accomplished athlete in his own right.
So why? I’ve only mentioned football because of all the Super Bowl hoop-la over the last week or so. My better-half who in truth is a fan, a fan of the parties and get-togethers, and interaction with her friends but only a so-so fan of the sport. I think the great majority of fans are just like her.
I’m reminded of our addiction as a society to sports every time I watch an episode of Spartacus. I suppose the human race has advanced from the Roman’s version of the Super Bowl held at the Coliseum where gladiators killed Christians, animals, and themselves in great numbers. With crowds of thousands cheering, betting, and orgying their hearts out. They called it then “bread and circuses” which allowed the political caste to maintain control over the great unwashed.
Do you see any similarities? These days we make it possible for our gladiators, the biggest and strongest of us, to be paid great sums of money to punish themselves and many times damage themselves critically. The money and glory, as in Rome, were all that ever mattered. Does that ring a bell for you? It not such an honorable profession when you see a super successful man like Mike Webster, formerly of the four time Super Bowl winning Steelers, suffering from amnesia, dementia, depression, and acute bone and muscle pain after his retirement. He lived out of his pickup truck or in train stations for years between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh. Webster’s wife finally divorced him six months before his death in 2002. He was only 50 years old.
Of course, Webster was responsible for his own decisions but in my opinion the system was responsible for the pressures of money, fame, performance enhancers, and steroid use that ultimately destroyed him. Unfortunately he’s not alone.
Maybe that’s what makes celebrating these sports so difficult for me.
