I’ve been hearing sirens annoying close since 4:00 AM this morning. There are a lot of problems. I think the best solution is to stay home and stay naked.
Not too many years have passed since being a Russian spy was enough to get a person the firing squad. Apparently, we now give them seats in Congress. The level of betrayal is significant and what is even more amazing is that they’re attempting to mask their actions as some form of patriotism. I’m not sure how that works since, legally, they’re US citizens, but idealistically, among Russia’s strongest supporters. Even actual Russians are not as fervent.
Of course, I’m talking about U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). They were elected as super-conservative Republicans, which was bad enough, but now they’re outright supporting Russia by clamoring to impeach fellow Republican, House Speaker Mike Johnson, for daring to bring a funding bill for Ukraine to the House floor. Never mind the fact that there is nothing in the Constitution that actually gives the Speaker the authority to completely deny the House the right to vote on its own bill. Greene and Massie are glued tight to the pro-Putin agenda of leaving Ukraine to fall under the continual onslaught from Russia’s military.
So far, it seems that only two of the Russian cohorts are willing to make themselves so visible. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a three-term Texas Republican rated a hard-core conservative told CNN’s Manu Raju, in a video posted Thursday, “I guess their reasoning is they want Russia to win so badly that they want to oust the Speaker over it. I mean that’s a strange position to take. “I think they want to be in the minority too. I think that’s an obvious reality.”
Other Republicans are more quiet in expressing their concern, though, and that itself is concerning. U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, one of several Republicans who won their New York districts in 2022 couched his words to support the funding bill but at the same time, tried to not piss off Greene. “Marjorie Taylor Greene, I respect her, she works hard for her district…” he said in an interview. The question we’re all asking, though, is whether it’s the Georgia district in the US, or a Russian district close to the Ukranian front line that she’s supporting.
Other Republicans are saying that the majority of the Republican caucus wants the bill on the floor and some are even calling for the resignation of Greene and Massie if they don’t support the bill coming to the floor. But no one is talking about bringing them up on charges for directly giving aid and support to a known US enemy actively engaged in war against a US ally.
In my opinion, the Department of Justice needs to open an investigation now into the degree to which Reps. Green and Massie are involved with, communicating with, and taking directives from Russian intelligence figures. There is little question that there are foxes in the henhouse and someone needs to get the shotgun out and remove the fuckers now.
We simply can’t play stupid games with Russian spys.
Everything I’d hoped to do, needed to do yesterday was done. The results, however, were not necessarily what we had hoped. After calling Social Security multiple times, I finally got an answering machine instructing me to leave my contact information. Sigh. Will they call back today? I’ll give them a chance. They’re on central time, which drives me a bit nuts, but I need to know what to expect and/or how to plan before relocating myself. I also contacted some apartments that are supposed to be for people who are over 55. What frustrates me there is that their ads on Facebook, which I’m getting in droves, hide the financial information until you give them your contact info. THEN, you find out their prices are well outside your budget. This isn’t going to be easy but we simply must find a solution somewhere.
A thunderstorm hit early this morning. The result was that I went from having two large dogs and five cats scattered around my bed to two large dogs and five cats all trying to snuggle as close to me as they possibly could. What the hell are they going to do for comfort when I’m gone? I think Hamilton would lie in my lap while I’m typing if he wasn’t so freaking big.
Tipper went to the pediatrician yesterday. She saw a new doctor because her usual pede is out for the month. I was a little concerned about how that would go, but it was fine. Tipper reported that the doctor told her to either get more sunshine or she’d have to take more pills. Tipper said she’d rather take the pills. Is anyone surprised by that surprise? No, not at all.
G got his PSAT scores back. I was impressed that his score puts him in the top 2%. He was disappointed that he didn’t make the top 1%. He said he was tired and hungry while taking the test, problems he’ll be sure to eliminate the next time he takes it. Let’s hope the child doesn’t choose the dark side at any point. Something tells me he’d have the Death Star up and operational in a matter of months.
Perhaps he can devise a way to keep stupid people from doing catastrophically stupid things. When we woke yesterday, we discovered that parts of six states had lost their 911 service just hours after Homeland Security warned that our 911 network is at risk of cyber attacks. Naturally, everyone immediately assumed that the report had been a self-fulfilling prophecy, possibly in an effort to increase funding. Nope. Turns out it was just stupid people doing stupid things. Late yesterday, we were told that workers installing a light pole in Missouri cut into a fiber line, causing the outage. You know all those signs you see everywhere about calling 811 before you did? One might think that doing so would be a natural part of the process for a utility contractor, something completed days before they started installing the new pole. Nope. Stupid people do stupid things that have dangerous consequences. If anything what we’ve learned from this experience is that yes, the nation’s 911 system needs to be protected. From ourselves.
Kat sent me a screenshot last night showing me the insane number of steps she had yesterday. She’d obviously had a full day and she’s feeling the results of that exertion this morning. It was only two years ago that I was putting in a similar number of steps on a daily basis. Now, I’m afraid to walk around the block alone. I almost fell over unfastening the gate this morning. Still, I want to try and stretch my stamina somehow. So, I think I’m going to see how many posts and images I can put in front of your eyes today. I have to try and stay awake to hear from Social Security anyway, so I might as well try to achieve some form of productivity even if it doesn’t really matter to anyone at all.
I find it interesting that since I started posting again, the highest amount of traffic still goes to a three-year-old post that is perhaps the most explicit I’ve ever published. I also find it interesting that a high number of those hits come from outside the country, often from Islamic countries where I’m pretty sure such content is illegal. I’m questioning whether I should try and top that one with something new. I’m pretty sure I still have some images I’ve never processed.
Breakfast time. Ya’ll try to stay out of trouble, okay? 🤣
Beware, before you invest your time in today’s update, that I’m emotional, have been awake since 2:00, haven’t had coffee yet, and probably shouldn’t be considered sane at this moment. Also, be aware that not everything yesterday went poorly. I did have a wonderful time sharing coffee with a friend. It was the first time I’d been outside the yard in a month, and I appreciated the company. There were plenty of opportunities for the day to go worse than it did.
The problem didn’t come until we were sitting down at dinner. Kat attempted to explain in reasonable terms that the situation here at the house would soon be untenable for me. There are a host of repairs that are going to start soon. There’s no question that the repairs are necessary; they have been for some time. But there is pressure for her to make those repairs now and that’s going to create an environment that is unhealthy for me.
Making matters more difficult is the fact that we can’t afford to pay contractors to do the work. She’s going to do it all herself with some help from friends. That includes replacing the bathroom plumbing that is literally crumbling in the walls. This means that for some span of time, there will have to be a portable toilet in the yard. There will be no shower until the work is done. Several walls, possibly including those in the Recovery Room, will have to be replaced. There will be dust and debris all over the place. This is definitely not the kind of environment where I can recuperate from all the chemo.
If contractors were handling the job with a full crew, it would probably take two-three months to complete. That’s not terribly long, but would still come with all the health challenges. It would be unreasonable to expect Kat to do the work herself anywhere nearly as quickly. Where this gets sticky, however, if that there are still projects started during the pandemic shutdown four years ago that haven’t been finished. Kat’s busy. It takes all her time just trying to make ends meet. She gets home and doesn’t have the energy to rip down drywall or replace the shower. I don’t doubt her ability to do the work, but can she even get the work done before it starts getting cold again next fall? There are reasons to be doubtful.
I’m not sure who is pushing her to get the work done now. I don’t know that it matters. Whoever it is has convinced her that the work has to be done. The condition the house currently is in could cause legal problems if the wrong people were called. That fear has been deeply instilled and the only way to address it is to fix the problems. Now. The momentary discomfort comes secondary to keeping her and the kids together.
But there are other issues. Zoning has to approve whatever is done. That means there have to be plans submitted and permits pulled. Who’s going to do that? How long is that approval going to take? The ultimate zoning hearing could open us up to criticism from the nosy neighbor who keeps reporting the status of our lawn each summer. Her contrarian voice could cause all manner of unforeseen trouble. Even putting building materials inside the fence could become a point of contention. There are troubles for even thinking about doing the work. Kat doesn’t need any more stress and that’s what this work is going to cause. A lot more stress than anyone needs.
Who wants a roommate? Me moving out resolves the problem of me surviving while the work is going on, not to mention the awkwardness of me taking yet another nap while everyone around me is working their ass off. There really is little choice but for me to be elsewhere. Of course, there are some big problems there are well, starting with the fact that I really can’t afford to go anywhere on my own.
I did a lot of looking at rental properties after dinner last night. At first, I thought that perhaps I could do a long-stay hotel somewhere nearby. HA! There’s nothing like that available for less than $1200 a month at the bottom end. Most come in around $3,500 to $4,800 a month. That’s more than four times the amount I get from Social Security. Definitely not an option.
The absolute cheapest amenities I could find come in between $400-$500 a month, which I might make work. However, their co-living arrangements in a house with roommates. While they offer my own bathroom and bedroom, everything is shared. That’s a problem while I’m on chemo. I don’t share anything because of the risk of toxins lingering on things such as plates and silverware. Not to mention the fact that one doesn’t get to choose their roommates in these situations. They could be not-so-very-nice people. They might even be Republicans. I’m too old to be living in a reboot of “Friends.” This isn’t going to work at all.
Kat would like for me to be in an assisted living facility. The upside would be a private room, cleaning services, prepared meals, planned activities, transportation to the doctor, and a 24/7 nursing staff in case something goes sideways. This sounds like a good idea until you start looking at all the details. We’ve actually been looking here for almost a year and the more I look, the more problems I find.
First is the cost. Oh my fucking god! We’re looking at $5,600 a month in the neighborhood and up for the median level of service. Again, way more than I make from social security. My current insurance won’t pay for it. They’ll pay for 100 in-home visits a year, which is realistically only a step away from not having any help at all. If I were on Medicaid, it would cover the costs at some facilities, but as of last week, even the nasty low-end facilities have a waiting list of 10+ people. I’m not going to get in before construction needs to start.
Then, let’s look at the reality of the social situation. I’d be the young person in the facility by 12-15 years. Several facilities won’t even consider anyone under 65. I’m accustomed to being around significantly younger people. I get my energy and ideas from young people. Younger people help me feel plugged into the world and everything happening. Assisted living facilities, no matter what they say, serve institutionalized food and we both know damn good and well that can barely be passable on many occasions. They rely on old people losing their sense of taste. Staff turnover is high because, despite the cost of a room, the workers don’t make enough money to live on, have to deal with the bad attitudes of people who don’t know where they are, and are often disregarded by management. Every few weeks you’re breaking in someone new. Public reports on some lower-end facilities, the ones most likely to take Medicaid, show high numbers of reports of abuse and a lack of appropriate care.
This is just barely a step above living in a tent outside. I’ll only go if the only other choice is homelessness.
The final option is a small studio or one-bedroom apartment with utilities included. I’ve spent a good bit of the night looking at these options since I wasn’t able to sleep. Prices run from right around $600 a month on up. The biggest difference in prices seems to have to do with the age of the facility and where it is located. Those with lower prices tend to be in more challenging neighborhoods where not only is crime more of an issue but the availability of amenities such as shopping, dining, and entertainment is likely to be further away.
On the plus side, these places offer a decent level of privacy, come with kitchen appliances, and avoid the issue of having to secure utilities and deal with their fluctuating prices. The typical size is between 650-750 square feet. Deposits on several are as low as $300. I could *possibly* have enough money to move in by the first of June or something close to that.
The downside is that my credit score requires a shovel to find it, which automatically makes the process difficult. Depending on the type of security and where the apartment is located, getting anything delivered can be challenging without the risk of it being stolen. Letting guests in can be challenging as well. I’ve seen some apartments where one has to physically let the guest through the locked door.
I’m not worried about going over the income caps that several places have. Even if my Social Security was increased to the allowable limit, I’d still be well under the income cap for a single person. In the year before I met Kat (2012), I stayed in some of these places and while their security measures might make some things a little inconvenient, they were pretty much decent places that were good for those on fixed incomes.
Considering an apartment comes with some unique concerns. One is having someone watch over me regularly. Here, we have to consider whether I can get back on Medicaid. That would provide a higher level of service than my current insurance. However, on my 65th birthday, I’d get dumped from Medicaid and put on Medicare which is a whole new mess of government red tape trying to make sure old people die and get out of the way.
One option worth considering is Amazon’s new emergency service through its Alexa system. The cost is only $6/month and renews automatically. In addition to calling 911, it can call other emergency contacts as well. Is this going to take longer than having someone in-house all the time? Depends on the size of the house. Nursing facilities typically have one nurse per 100 residents. If that nurse is already busy when you call, it can be several minutes before anyone gets to you. 911, on the other hand, does its best to get to you ASAP, preferably in under three minutes.
An apartment also comes with the challenge of not having furnishings. I have a bed. I had a recliner. I have a file cabinet. That’s it. The desk I’m using is Kat’s. The coffee pot and microwave are Kat’s. I have a couple of lamps and a turntable. I do have a bookshelf but it would depend on the apartment’s rules as to whether I could attach it to the wall. I’ve never been especially picky about things like sofas and coffee tables. As I get older, though, sitting on the floor or having to bend over constantly to use the computer becomes more of an issue. Of course, I have plenty of pictures for the walls.
Included among the list of things I need to do today is making a call to the Social Security office. They want to confirm my residence. What do I tell them? How much is it going to mess things up if I let them know I need to move within the next six weeks? The last thing I need is more paperwork on my desk or matters getting any more confusing than they already are. I could use help, but not the over-the-phone kind. I need someone who can be right next to me, making sure I’m filling things out correctly. I have a laptop. Come get me and we can do things over coffee.
By the way, the coffee shop has its spring drink menu out and it looks really good.
The final matter to worry about is the loneliness that is going to happen no matter how this plays out. There’s no taking the dogs anywhere they don’t have room to run. Cats come with pet fees and I don’t have money for that. What I am constantly reminded of is that loneliness is a worse killer than heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. While Kat’s promised that I’ll see her and the kids at least once a week, what about all the other times? If there’s nothing safe within walking distance, how will I pass the time I normally spend interacting with or watching over the kids? Will I just pathetically sit here and try to deal with the depression without blowing my brains out? I don’t have a lot of confidence in my ability to deal with the quiet and loneliness well. I need people in my life and I need them to be people that I like. I have no idea how to solve this problem anymore. It’s not like when I first moved here and could hit people up to take pictures. I have nothing that makes me attractive to anyone new. Nothing.
I’m open to reasonable suggestions. I’m also old and very set in my ways. I need to make a move within the next six weeks or things become difficult for all of us.
Tipper rarely brings home homework from school. There’s seldom anything for her to bring home at all. Yesterday was the exception. She came home, emptied the pockets of her hoodie, and placed the folded pieces of paper on the kitchen counter. Both were already completed on the ride home. That’s not a big surprise for a young woman who often finds school boring.
I picked up one of the papers and looked over it. She’s dyslexic so her handwriting isn’t the neatest and can take a moment to translate. After I’d looked over it a couple of times, I asked her if she would mind if I shared it. She asked why. I told her that it’s because what she said was something that every artist needs to hear, no matter how old they are.
So, with her permission, here’s what she wrote:
Something I am passionate about is art. One way I want to change it is that you don’t need to be a professional to draw or craft because lots of artists give up because they can’t draw right or craft it correctly. I can change it [art] by telling young artists that it doesn’t need to be perfect. Just practice and don’t compare your art to others. It can drop confidence.
-Tipper (age 14)
Go ahead. Screenshot it. Share it. Take the message to heart. And don’t give up.
Tipper rarely brings home homework from school. There’s seldom anything for her to bring home at all. Yesterday was the exception. She came home, emptied the pockets of her hoodie, and placed the folded pieces of paper on the kitchen counter. Both were already completed on the ride home. That’s not a big surprise for a young woman who often finds school boring.
I picked up one of the papers and looked over it. She’s dyslexic so her handwriting isn’t the neatest and can take a moment to translate. After I’d looked over it a couple of times, I asked her if she would mind if I shared it. She asked why. I told her that it’s because what she said was something that every artist needs to hear, no matter how old they are.
So, with her permission, here’s what she wrote:
Something I am passionate about is art. One way I want to change it is that you don’t need to be a professional to draw or craft because lots of artists give up because they can’t draw right or craft it correctly. I can change it [art] by telling young artists that it doesn’t need to be perfect. Just practice and don’t compare your art to others. It can drop confidence.
-Tipper (age 14)
Go ahead. Screenshot it. Share it. Take the message to heart. And don’t give up.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG GABE!
Today marks the 26th anniversary of my favorite birthing event ever: Gabe peeing on his grandmother! I never get tired of telling that story and he’ll never live it down. Not many kids come out of the womb making that kind of statement! I’m a bit sad that he’s not here. We’d make him a pie because he doesn’t really like cake. Then we’d make a second pie because he’d hoard the first one all to himself. He’s having a bit of a rough time at the moment and to top everything he’s aging off his mom’s insurance. I’m sure he’ll find a solution, though, and keep on being the cool person he is. Listening to Sleep Token is now his favorite thing to do, even while he’s sleeping. It is difficult to imagine that my little guy is so very big. Here’s to hoping he has the most WONDERFUL birthday and a fantastic year!
Meanwhile, back here in the Recovery Room, the kids have both left for school, the animals are taking a nap, and I’m starting to feel a tiny bit hungry. We’re all glad the rain held off as long as it did yesterday, but it was a wild storm of continuous thunder when it did hit. None of us slept through it, including the animals. Sleep patterns for everyone are a bit wonky. I almost hate to plan anything for dinner because I never know if anyone will be awake to eat it.
Tipper is still taking tests today. G is hoping it’s not storming again when he’s on his way home. I’m hoping to get out for a while this morning. There’s laundry in the dryer. I think everything is going to be fine today. Hopefully. Maybe.
What’s worth watching today is an argument in front of the Supreme Court over whether homeless people are covered by the 8th Amendment which prevents people from being punished based on a personal status outside their control, such as being homeless. This is the biggest homeless case to reach SCOTUS in decades and could affect a number of local laws designed to prevent homeless people from camping on public property. I have zero faith that SCOTUS will do the right thing for homeless people. None of the judges have ever been in that situation and if you’ve not experienced the terror that is homelessness, there’s little chance you’ll understand.
I’m also keeping a close eye on Israel and Gaza. Israel says it’s going to retaliate against Iran. President Biden says the US won’t help. Iran says if Israel retaliates it will have a “massive” response. Someone in the UN floated a resolution recognizing Palestine as a state, but the US Ambassador to the UN says she never saw it and the vote failed. Meanwhile, there are now an estimated 19,000 orphans in Gaza. I feel there’s a really big boom about to come from that region.
I also have a statement for artists from Tipper but I’ll share that separately.
Here’s to another day!
My personal disdain for almost everything Florida knows no limits. From its insane antics to its morally deprived and equally insane politics to its over-rated beaches and redneck behavior, There isn’t much about Florida that justifies people going there. Ever. There’s an equally good Disney attraction in Anaheim and dozens upon dozens of better beaches around the world. I mean, have you seen Hawai’i? So, I’m never surprised when the universe seems to take a shit on the god-forsaken state.
Well, it’s happened again, this time in the form of space trash that refused to burn up during re-entry. A piece of space junk used batteries from the space station that were supposed to burn up when they hit the earth’s atmosphere. This isn’t a fast process and normally it takes everything anywhere from two weeks to two months to make the trip. But not everything burned up this time. Instead, a piece about the size of a cell phone, if cell phones looked like a chunk of mastodon tusk, fell into a home in Naples, FL. When I say into I mean through the roof, the ceiling, and the floor. All the way through.
Alejandro Otero, the homeowner, said his son was at home when the event happened. There was a “tremendous” noise and then, boom, the sky fell onto the Otero’s home. No one was hurt, fortunately, but NASA says they’re going to have to “recalculate” how space trash re-enters the atmosphere.
Gee, ya’ think?
This isn’t the first time the sky has fallen on Florida or other places around the globe. Every time a new satellite goes up there has to be a projection for when/where it is expected to return when it leaves orbit. Most pieces are expected to burn up. The big pieces they hope will fall into an ocean. Those calculations are wrong to a somewhat frightening degree.
Granted, one is still more likely to get hit by a bus driven by a drunk Republican in Florida, or smashed by a raging bull elephant anywhere else. “Large uncertainties, primarily driven by fluctuating levels of atmospheric drag, prevent more precise predictions at this time,” according to the ESA (European Space Agency), which is one of NASA’s partners in the orbiting laboratory. That means, “We don’t know what the universe is going to throw at us, so maybe go ahead and duck.”
Since so much of what is in space leaves here from Florida, I guess we shouldn’t be too terribly surprised when the universe tries to send it back from whence it came. I’ll just add this to the already long list of reasons to stay the fuck out of Florida.
One of the primary tenets of the First Amendment of the US Constitution is the right to “peacefully assemble,” re. the right to protest. It has been an anchor in the right to free speech and has been presented to us as one of the underlying differences between the US and other countries. The fact that we allow our citizens to protest is supposed to be one of the things that make us better than anyone else.
Well, as of Monday, April 15, 2024, you can pretty much toss that one in the can. The Supreme Court of the United States, in its endless bafflement, ruled against the First Amendment in rejecting an appeal from DeRay Mckesson in a case that stems from a 2016 protest over the police killing of a Black man in Baton Rouge. What the court appears to have said is that the person who organizes a protest is responsible for the actions of the people participating in the protest.
There are some caveats. First, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned lower courts to “not read anything” into the decision. In other words, by rejecting this particular case the court does not rule out the possibility that it might take up the full matter at a later date. Second, it is important to realize that in rejecting the case, justices did not hear full arguments on the matter, which would give the matter the weight of precedence in subsequent cases.
However, the decision is still troubling. The decision will most definitely hold some influence over lower courts. Yet another Pandora’s Box has been opened (how many of those damn boxes does Pandora have?).
What’s all the fuss, Gus? Back in 2016 (remember 2016?), a man named DeRay Mckesson organized a protest in Louisiana after police killed a black man in Baton Rouge. During that protest, someone unidentified threw a “rock-like object” and it hit an officer. Since the rock thrower couldn’t be identified, the officer, hiding behind the moniker John Doe, decided to sue Mckesson for not controlling the protest he instigated. The initial federal court threw out the suit, which was, unquestionably in my opinion, the correct decision. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to pick it back up because Mckesson didn’t lead the protest onto the highway, resulting in a standoff with police and the injury to the officer.
If this is going to be the case, someone let that former president know that he is now on the hook for every action taken by protestors on January 6, since he organized that melee. It’s all his fault.
More seriously, though, we have to look at this decision as a warning to anyone who might consider organizing future protests. How the fuck are you supposed to “control” a crowd who is righteously angry? Do you remember what was going on in 2016? We were finally standing up to the fact that people of color were being indiscriminately murdered by police! There was every reason in the world to protest and every reason to exhibit anger as part of those protests.
So, what happens when the Supreme Court does something really stupid like take away the right to gender-affirming care for everyone, not just trans kids in Ohio? Is that topic safe to protest? Can we get everyone on the highway? What happens this fall when Republican Governors mobilize the National Guard because they don’t like the way the elections go? Is that going to be safe to protest? What about when the Supreme Court overturns the January 6 convictions on a technicality? Are we safe to protest that fatality of justice?
The nature of protests is that the more people participating, the more seriously the protest is taken. However, the more people protesting, the more likely it is that someone is going to misbehave, often out of anger at a gross miscarriage of justice and the fear that their opinion is not being heard by those in power. The more government leaders attempt to shut down protests, as they did the Black Lives Matter protests of 2016, the more angry protestors are going to be. If elected leaders aren’t going to pay attention to their constituents through the manners prescribed by law, then protestors are more likely to resort to more extreme manners of communication.
Did we learn nothing in history class?
We need to protect the right to protest. When those we’ve elected to uphold the law take it upon themselves to ignore the law, protest may become the only way we have of solving the problem.
I think most of us, at least those over the age of 40, grew up being told, with great confidence, that the United States was the best country in the world, and there was little to refute that statement. All that has changed now. It doesn’t take a social scientist with a Harvard degree to realize that the US is far from being the best. We certainly have punted on being the best at democracy, as the multiple criminal indictments of a past president indicate. We’re far from being the best at healthcare. We’re not even close on human rights. Those are just some of the major points where the United States is failing badly.
As I was doom scrolling through one bad news story after the other, I came across a BuzzFeed headline that caught my curiosity. BuzzFeed isn’t exactly known for being any bastion of journalism. They don’t even try. But they claimed to have a list of 43 “cool” things that prove the US is lagging behind on the social front. 43? Really? That seems an odd number, don’t you think? Certainly, this mandated some level of inspection.
Mind you, these are strictly social elements, things that the US could do but hasn’t. None of these things would require an act of Congress. Well, maybe one or two when it comes to infrastructure funding. Most, however, are simply a matter of having entrepreneurs step and and give the concept a try. Are Americans ready for this kind of advances or are we too busy arguing with each other over who is American enough?
I don’t find all 43 items on the list that amusing, either. So, I narrowed it down to ten, starting with:
Bikes with airless tires you can rent, so you don’t have to worry about tires deflating.
The list refers to Singapore’s bike rental industry, which is kinda cool but something several US cities have. What we don’t have are airless tires. There’s nothing quite as lame as renting a bike and having a tire go flat. Whose responsibility is it to change the tire? How do you even report a flat tire to the rental company? Do you get your money back? The problem of flat tires is not an issue that needs to happen. Airless tires have been around for a long time. The technology isn’t even that difficult. It is well past time that we stepped up to the plate on this issue.
Traveling movie theaters so remote areas far away from movie theaters can still catch the latest releases.
Having been raised in rural Oklahoma, I feel this one to my core. Going to the movies was never easy, and if you were including a meal, it was even more difficult. Chances are you had to go to the late showing and wouldn’t be getting home until the wee hours of the morning, and that’s not including any time of hanky-panky. Traveling movie theatres in Scotland are essentially tractor-trailers whose sides expand out once parked. They can set up in a parking lot at a park or store, seat up to 100 people at a time, and give everyone the chance to see current movies not yet streaming. This could be especially important for the thousands of people in the US who don’t have reliable Internet service, either. Someone needs to take advantage of this quickly!
Solar-powered buses
With all the arguments (it’s not really a debate because it’s mostly yelling and short on facts) about the fuel impact of public transportation, Hong Kong seems to have found a reasonable solution. The fact that it’s working in a demonstrably dense urban area is all we need to know. Say goodbye to exhaust fumes and charging stations. The only place where I see this possibly not working is in the Seattle, WA area, where the sun has an obvious dislike for joining whatever party they’ve got going on up there. For everyone else, this solves not only the question of fuel but also the question of costs since, ta-da, sunshine is free! There’s a pretty decent chance that high-speed rail could be operated similarly.
Make the whole traffic light rod light up, so there’s no mistaking when the light changes.
Was that light red or not? Americans may not be the worst drivers in the world (have you been to India?), but we certainly qualify among the worst. We have this bad habit of insisting that we’re right 100% of the time. Any time there’s an accident at an intersection, someone is screaming, “But I swear that light was green!” Let’s put that to an end, or perhaps a reduction, by lighting up the whole lighting structure. Yes, this is an infrastructure cost and no one wants to spend money on things we need, like infrastructure. This is also a safety issue, though, and the number of pedestrians being hit in crosswalks hasn’t gone down anywhere. Light things up, maybe even make crosswalks more visible while we’re at it, and let’s see how many fewer dead bodies we have to scrape from the pavement.
“Confectionery-free checkouts” with no small candies or snacks, so you aren’t tempted to buy anything. These would also be a lifesaver for parents of kids with grabby hands.
This is apparently a popular idea in Australia. Apparently, folks down under actually care about giving their customers a pleasant shopping experience. I can’t imagine how grocery stores in the US would operate without indulging that last-minute “I deserve a candy bar” craving or giving in to the persistent screaming of the two-year-old sitting in a basket. Think of the revenue that would be lost! Why, this sounds absolutely un-American, and it is. We’re too fucking greedy to ever give this idea a decent shot, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile concept.
Lights showing which bathroom stalls are occupied.
Imagine walking into a public restroom, especially in a crowded club or restaurant, and not having to peek through the cracks to see whether a stall is occupied! This is the reality in Taiwan and there’s absolutely no reason it shouldn’t exist everywhere. Not many people like being spied on while they’re in the bathroom, especially if that shrimp you had for dinner wasn’t the freshest. A light panel just inside the doorway saves all the questioning and allows one to go straight to the nearest empty stall which is what you wanted to do in the first place. Now, if they’d just add better ventilation to that…
Vending machines for things other than snacks or drinks.
The vending machine concept is far from new, so why is it that the US hasn’t started using them for things more than snacks or drinks? Looking around the world, there are vending machines for used books, wine, flowers, cakes, and many other things that one might want to grab on the go. The technology is easy and could be set up at places such as bus stops so that one could get what they need without having to wander all over town. This could be especially advantageous in places that are currently food/resource deserts. Think about entire individual meals, health products, and even resource guides at the ready! Bonus points if they’re paired with Foodstamp cards for those in need.
In-store signs that warn you about shrinkflation.
Again, I don’t see this happening in America because we’re too bent on allowing ourselves to be fooled so that we spend more than we should. France finds such signs a part of doing an honest business. American companies would find such signs an attack on their revenue. What that says about American business and shoppers alike isn’t flattering. But then, it’s been a long time since Americans gave a shit about honesty. We’re much too greedy for that.
Braille notices on canned goods and drinks
How do blind people shop? For the most part, they need someone else to do it for them. Telling the difference between a bag of potatoes and a bag of oranges is almost impossible. But what about when they get home? They may know what was bought, but if you’re feeling around the refrigerator, how do you tell the difference between soda and beer? In Japan, there’s braille on the top of cans that tell you! This simple kind of stamping would be extremely easy to implement, but less than .01% of consumer-oriented goods make any kind of allowance for blind or vision-empaired customers. This is an idea that is long overdue and one we need to get behind.
Public points to get help for people with dementia or autism issues.
Anyone with autism issues knows what it’s like to be out in public and suddenly become overwhelmed by any number of sensory issues. Maybe it’s sound. Maybe it’s too many people, Maybe it’s too many lights. I have family members who experience such moments and their bodies simply shut down, right there, unable to do anything to help them get to safety. Now, take those same feelings and apply them to people with dementia. They might have been just fine for days and in a place they know well, but all of a sudden they’re lost. Americans talk about caring for these people, but we do a lousy job of actually doing anything about it. Multiple Asian countries, however, have established copious help points, quiet rooms, and emergency assistance staffed around the clock just for these situations. They provide paid professionals who can make a quick assessment of the problem and find the appropriate help so that no one gets hurt. These are countries that actually care about their citizens, including those with neurological disabilities. The US does little more than talk, and there’s a severe lack of sincerity in our conversation. We have yet to put any real effort into addressing the many issues.
These ten things are just the edge of all that is happening around the world to make people’s lives better. We are so behind these trends that I’m a little surprised anyone at BuzzFeed thought to take a look at them. I’m guessing it’s someone who travels a lot internationally and was starting to feel a little jealous. Americans have let our international dominance slip so far that we’re afraid to take the steps necessary to start moving back up the ladder. We don’t want to spend the money. We don’t want to be bothered with someone else’s problem. We don’t have the spine to stand up and do what’s right.
I hope you’re feeling ashamed. I do.
What I want to do and what I actually do are two different things, almost daily. I thought I’d get more written yesterday. You don’t see any other posts than the morning update, do you? That’s because I’d start working on something and within minutes I’d start falling asleep at the desk. No amount of caffeine was able to stop it. This is the power that the chemo has over me and is the side effect I’m most concerned about not losing when the chemo is over. I fear my body has become too accustomed to my brain checking out and taking long naps during the afternoon.
Yesterday was a rough day for the kids as well. They came home, did their chores, and promptly fell fast asleep. Neither one ate anything for dinner. G woke up somewhere after 8:30 and Tipper didn’t wake up until 10. To no one’s surprise, I was out for the night by that time. I’m not sure anyone was awake at whatever time Kat got home. Her Mondays are almost always long days, and yesterday started earlier than normal. If it wasn’t for having to take care of the pets, I think we all could sleep around the clock.
The warm weather was nice when I was awake. The dogs loved being outside again. They’re being a lot more chill this spring, not barking as much at people who are passing by, not causing any problems. They’re even being nicer to the mail carrier. She still keeps a wide berth as she passes, but she doesn’t feel the need to walk out in the middle of the street any longer. I’d be tempted to take one of the dogs for a walk, but out of safety, I think I’d need someone to walk with us.
I need someone to take me to see the new movie Civil War. Having watched all the trailers and probably too much news, I can see the movie being prophetic in disturbing ways. I’ve told others that I’ll be surprised if we make it through this election season without any violence. This movie seems to take that thought to the extreme. The fact is, we’re in as much danger from domestic extremism as any Islamic country. We’re wrestling with many of the same issues with too many parallels among the factions. There are too many so-called “patriots” who think that anyone who disagrees with them needs to die. There are too many Supreme Court decisions encouraging the chaos. If I’m going to die before I’m 85, I want it to be because I ate too many coconut creme pies, not because I ran afoul of some idiot with a grenade launcher. Here’s the trailer. Let me know in the comments what you think.
Given all this stress and such, I’m kind of in the mood to take some risks. It’s about a mile and a half, give or take a few steps, over to Nick’s Chili Parlor and some incredible foot-long hot dogs. I’m pretty sure I could make it over there safely. The question is, could I make it back? And who would I call for help if I couldn’t?
Maybe I just need to eat breakfast so I can get the idea of food out of my head.
Happy Tax Day!
A FRIENDLY REMINDER OF WHY YOU NEED TO VOTE!
Some days we just need to be quiet. That explains why I’ve not posted anything extra over the weekend. With the weather being better, I was able to relax and sleep, repairing some of the damage done by almost two straight weeks of rain. When I wasn’t sleeping, I watched the news unfold in Gaza, sitting outside with the dogs, and enjoying Tipper celebrating her birthday. The kids managed to mow the lawn without too much arguing. The dogs rolled around over the fresh-cut grass. We watched as a neighbor’s two-year-old tried kicking a soccer ball and missed repeatedly.
I mentioned yesterday about the huge furry head Tipper got for her birthday. It’s roughly three times the size of her normal head with blue and black fur and a textured face that looks rather vicious. She decided to wear it while G was moving, along with her white and red cape. It was an interesting look.
We have a lot of families who walk through the neighborhood when the weather is nice. A family with a little one, probably 14-16 months old, was out about the same time as the kids. The little guy was already fussy. He absolutely wanted to be carried. Then, he saw Tipper. The volume of his screams went up enough that I heard them from inside the Recovery Room. The little guy was wrapped around his dad’s leg, screaming as much as his little lungs allowed. I think his dad thought the baby was just continuing to fuss, but the look on this baby’s face said otherwise. I’d be willing to be Tipper was in his nightmares last night!
Today iLearn testing begins in Indiana. This is that wonderful time of year when the state attempts, miserably, to make all our multi-shaped personalities fit into the round hole that adults think they need to fit. I cannot say enough bad things about standardized testing. Studies have repeatedly shown how deficient they all are, and iLearn continues to be one of the worst ever conceived. Neurodivergent children are especially misserved during this testing. There are limited resources to help kids get through these tests and if you don’t know about them and advocate for your children, they won’t get the help. I hope our kids will grow up and outlaw this imbecilic means of pushing children toward sameness rather than glorifying their individuality.
We’re still keeping a close eye on the Middle East. President Biden has said that the US will not help Israel retaliate. What the weekend proved, however, is that we can help minimize the effects of attacks without setting foot on soil. Israel is not a member of NATO, yet we are spending MILLIONS to help them defend themselves against attack. Why won’t we do the same for Ukraine? If one deserves our help, there’s no reasonable argument for denying the other. Either we’re in, completely, or we’re out. We can’t afford to let Russia win any more than we can afford to give Iran any manner of foothold. Both are controlled by absolutely insane people who have no concern for human life. We need to put them both out of commission.
G told me yesterday that he needs AA batteries. So, I put together a small order that’s being delivered this morning. A third of the cost is taxes and fees that I wouldn’t need to pay if I could drive. 😒This drives me nuts. On the bright side, it was here before 7:30.
It’s been over three weeks since I’ve set foot outside the confines of the yard. I’m feeling that maybe it’s time to get out again. We’ll see how safe I feel wandering with the dogs today. Meanwhile, Solaris has the zoomies. No place on the bed is safe.
Let’s talk briefly about this morning’s picture. It was taken almost exactly 16 years ago. This is the first time we shot with Alicia. The rain you see is real, not manufactured. We originally processed the 8-megapixel image in black-and-white because technology at the time barely made the rain visible in color. For this morning, we took the processed .TIFF file (because I don’t have the RAWs) and colorized it, then enhanced the texture to pick up on the rain.
Alicia was just stepping into modeling. Her eldest son, Benjamin, was still the tiniest little guy. Now, she’s happily married, living in Florida, and has two more little buggers running around keeping her busy. Looking back on memories like this makes me smile, and make me very happy there was no lightning that morning. I miss moments like this and cherish them to the core of my being.
Tippy had a good birthday. She had lunch with her aunt and niece and got home in time for a giant black and blue furry head to arrive in the mail. The head is freaking huge! The total look is going to be interesting, though. Her head is black and blue. Her tail is orange. Her paws are gray. Her feet are white. This is an interesting kitty to be sure, but she loves it and that’s really all that matters. She’s happy. She is creating her own identity for now. Who knows what she’ll want to do next.
With good weather came a return to my “normal” chemo patterns. Two hours after taking my meds, I was sound asleep and stayed that way for the next seven hours. I rather expect today will be more of the same, though the lawn needs to be mowed so that may require me putting off my nap a bit. I’ve stopped trying to fight the sleep when the urge comes. This is part of my life for now and it may not ever change.
If we had a front porch, a real one, not the little square in front of the door, this would be the perfect morning to sit there and rock back and forth while drinking coffee. The dogs could meander around the yard until they were bored then come up and lie next to me without getting covered in fleas. Taking them out this morning was pleasant, the kind of morning you want to repeat.
Unfortunately, that’s where the pleasure ends. Israel reports that they intercepted somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 missiles and drones from Iran overnight. We’ve been here before. Israel has one of the best and most effective defense systems in the world. They had help this time from Jordan, the UK, and the US to make sure there was only minor damage. Iran gets to say they retaliated for the strike on their Syrian embassy, and Israel gets to say they successfully defended the country. It’s the grown-up version of the silly slap-fighting one might see between a couple of children who are mildly upset with each other. The only cost is the play money that every country spends on these pseudo-war efforts.
Of course, the danger is in how Israel chooses to respond. If they hit another embassy or some target inside Iran, then it’s more likely to be “game on” and we could see Iran target Israeli interests that aren’t as protected. This could cause other countries, such as Iraq, to become involved. Next thing you know, Congress will fund another regional war for a while, then get bored and leave stranded. Eventually, those chickens will come home to roost and someone will start shooting back at us. We’re not behaving responsibly in the least, but then, neither is anyone else. The people who are in charge of the world are more than a little stupid and every last one of them needs to be replaced.
No one ever pays any attention to me, though. I’ve been saying the same thing for years now and they keep doing the stupid things that their predecessors did because they don’t have enough brain power to figure out anything different. We live in a stupid society surrounded by stupid people who still think war is an effective way to run a country or a planet. It’s never worked before, but they’re convinced that they have to keep trying.
We need an effective way to say no to people who keep going to war. Take their toys away from them like we would a spoiled child. We need consequences that affect the people causing the wars, not the innocent individuals who have to deal with the bombs, and the famine, and the loss of legitimate jobs. When Putin and Netanyahu and every other country’s leader have to pay personally for their actions, then maybe we start getting some positive results. This “punish the whole class for the actions of one” concept doesn’t work any better on the world stage than it does in Jr. High.
I wonder too often how humanity made it this far without completely annihilating ourselves.
Sigh. Stop electing old white men. There’s no wisdom coming from any of them.
Finally, the rain stopped, at least for now. We’ve had almost six inches of rain since the first of the month and I’ve felt as though each drop was a direct assault on my personal being. I’m looking forward to drier conditions this weekend and a high near 80 on Sunday and Monday. Maybe the calmer weather will help me feel a little less like I’m in the active process of dying. The forecast shows more storms for the middle of next week, though, so I’d best get some rest in while I can.
Today is Tipper’s birthday! Our baby girl is officially 14, though she’s been acting that age for a few months. She is so incredibly bright, creative, and artistic that it’s difficult to keep up with what project she’s working on at any given moment. Of course, her room’s a mess with all that creativity going on. I think we’ve about given up on ever seeing the floor in there ever again. But she’s such a wonderful delight of a person. I love the way she’s taken to calling me Papa, how she comes flirting into the Recovery Room each morning to snuggle with each of the animals on the bed, and how she’s taken on the title of primary rice maker for the entire house. I hope she feels all the love we have for her, forever.
Keeping the world safe for her and her brothers is a strenuous undertaking, though. The fight to keep Iran from attacking Israel is back on the front burner. I’m not sure that previous diplomatic tactics that helped keep the peace between the two countries are going to work this time. The ties between Gaza and Iran are too strong. Iran’s taking of an Israeli tanker this morning pushes the entire world closer to the brink of war. At this point, I hope we make it through the weekend.
At the same time, there is every reasonable concern of a domestic act of violence erupting at any time. Every agency head has told Congress the same thing: it’s coming and we’re not sure we can prevent it. That’s heartening, isn’t it, when you’re sending the ones you love out to work in public every day? Sending kids to school was already scary. Between loose gun laws and overly obsessive parents afraid that children will learn too much about things that make their parents insecure, school has been a dangerous place for several years. The danger now extends to anywhere that people gather. Anywhere. Anything you want to do outside your home comes with an increased risk factor and we are each largely helpless to do anything about it.
And we’re supposed to raise happy children in this environment. All we can do is watch and try to stay away from any kind of extremist: religious, political, or ideological.
Maybe I’ll get Tipper a blast suit for her birthday.
Roberto Cavalli died today at the age of 83. I wish you could have known him. Or maybe not. He was a unique character in the fashion world, his own life shaped by the loss of his father, shot by nazis when he was three years old. That event did two things that lasted: it gave him a stutter that could make his words difficult to understand whether in Italian or English. It also sent his now-single mother to make dresses, from which he would learn great skill.
Cavalli loved three things: art, women, and wine. Art was almost always behind the purpose of his fashion, but bringing out the sexiness of the female body was behind the silhouettes that graced his runways. And wine? Cavalli never shied away from throwing a party. In fact, the party atmosphere of his fashion shows was pretty much a staple.
Cavalli could be fiercely competitive and one of the fastest ways to get on his bad side was to be wearing Armani in his presence. So fierce was his competitive nature that he would threaten to file suit if his Milan show was within two hours of Armani. He wanted to be the biggest show of the day and throw the biggest party afterward.
While the designer loved seeing a woman in a dress, it was the stretch denim fabric and the resulting jeans that made him stand out. The jeans hugged a woman’s curves in the sexiest way possible, often leaving very little to the imagination. He’d pair the jeans with a daring low-cut top covered in sequins and rhinestones and five-inch tall stiletto heels, They were looks that were impossible to miss and anyone in the know recognized the look at Cavalli’s.
Roberto hasn’t been directly involved with the brand for some time now. With age came the loss of motor functions, making it difficult to sketch, and exaggerating his stutter, making it difficult to communicate. Finding someone to replace him was difficult, though. Designer Peter Dundas failed miserably at the house, failing to understand the basic look of the brand (despite his kind words in Vogue). Eventually, Fausto Puglisi took the creative director’s post and has continued with designs that match Cavalli’s concept of making beautiful women impossible to miss.
Yes, there were some issues with Cavalli as the world changed. The designer loved being around models and that gave rise to accusations that were less than flattering. While I never witnessed anything inappropriate, his personality certainly made it difficult to dismiss the charges, especially those made regarding the ’80s and early ’90s. He kept such matters private, though, and as he aged was much more careful about his interactions with the women who walked his runways.
Cavalli could be gruff and fun at the same time. He might complain about a sample not falling the way he wanted, demanding to know who had done the sewing or why the wrong stitch was used, but in the same instant, say, “Oh yeah, I did this, didn’t I? Maybe I should fire myself.” Everyone would laugh, and then he would remove the piece and either fix the problem on the spot or remove it from the show.
Cavalli was part of fashion’s Old Guard, a group that really only has two or three members left. Younger designers are coming along with new fabrics and ideas that are better suited for today’s women. He’ll be haunting someone, though, if his legend is ever lost behind Armani’s. Be sure of that.
The chemo drug I’m on is in short supply. The call from the hospital pharmacy that supplies me the drug called yesterday. At the moment, they have enough to get me through the summer, but they’ve notified my oncologist that we may need to be ready to make alternative arrangements by this fall. I’m not sure exactly what that means in terms of lengthening or shortening treatment. I see the oncologist next month. But the threat is real.
This is part of a nationwide shortage of over 300 medicines. Adderal is at the top of the list as are ADHD meds. No one is saying what, specifically, is driving the shortages. Everything from outstripping supplies to disruptions in delivering raw materials is part of the cause, making it more challenging to come to the problem with an easy solution. I don’t recommend having an emergency, either. Common crash cart supplies are on the list as well. This shortage stands to affect everyone.
Rain is forecasted to continue until noon today. At the moment, I don’t feel as bad as I did yesterday. The debilitating headache dropped off around 7:00 last night. That still didn’t translate to getting a decent amount of sleep. I’ve been awake since a little after 4:00 this morning. Hamilton was especially snuggly so he got in close and we looked at what I’ve been missing on Instagram until it was time for us to get up.
I still don’t feel like doing much, though. I’m sore. I’m achy. Getting my mind to focus on any one thing for more than a minute seems impossible. I think the weekend is supposed to be warmer. I’d love to at least sit outside while the dogs run and do their thing. Even the dogs have kept their outside experience to a minimum the past couple of days.
One interesting thing that did cross my eyes as we were reading this morning, was a story from Vanity Fair about how South Dakota tribes are keeping the state’s right-wing nut job of a governor off their lands. I don’t know how well this might work elsewhere, given that we’re talking about very specific tribal reservations. The best part: they didn’t have to involve the BIA, the courts, or anything government-related. Their councils simply voted that for her to step foot on the reservations amounts to trespassing and that she would be removed if she does so. Oklahoma is in a situation where their sorry excuse for a governor needs to stay out of tribal-controlled land as well, in my opinion. I hope my friends within the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes look at following this example and keeping the governor’s ass in Oklahoma City.
By the way, you know Doug’s not the only one who can comment here. Anyone can. Go ahead. Try it.
Today has been unpleasant as the rain continued with little abatement. I’ve not been able to rest more than 30 minutes at a time. I’ve been unable to eat, so I’ll need to force myself now. Even watching anything of length has been challenging. So, I’ve edited old pictures.
I rarely toss someone out in the rain because of the threat of lightning. Showers are a much better way of getting someone wet, but they have the problem of having perhaps the most boring background in the world. So, I went back to some different shoots, some all the way back to 2008, and fixed that problem a bit with AI. This achieves an effect we wouldn’t dare try in reality. I suppose we could have faked it, but the cost factor would be problematic. The biggest challenge here was that the 2008 shots were saved at a small 72 dpi, forcing us to upscale them. Again, the AI helps keep the image from pixelating. I hope you find them interesting.
Today marks 19 years since I moved from Atlanta to Indianapolis. I’ve lived here longer than anywhere. I have more connections here than anywhere. Yet, there is this eternal, nagging feeling that this is not home. I constantly question whether I’m doing anyone any good by being here. Two weeks in, I knew I had made a horrible mistake, but I was contractually obligated at the time, and by the time that contract was over, I was too broke to move back. That condition has remained the same ever since, and now Atlanta’s changed so much that I can’t see myself returning there. I’m not sure there’s anywhere now where I’m going to feel at home.
There is no way today is a good day. The rain kept me in pain, tossing and turning all night. I’ve had the headache from hell all night but I can’t take more pain meds until after 7:00. I gave up and decided to sit at the desk a little after 4. The dogs started pawing at me around 4:30, but I tried putting them off until at least 6. When they paw, they scratch, and my skin is fragile enough that it bleeds. So, at 5:00 I finally relented and let them out. When we came in, as per routine, I fed them and the cats. If I don’t feed the cats they get loud. Apparently, that was a mistake. The dogs eating woke Kat up and now she’s pissed at me.
The rain will continue to fall all day. My body hasn’t liked rain for years because of the arthritis. In my current condition, all pain levels are elevated. I can’t sleep. Eating is difficult. Walking is difficult. Sitting isn’t comfortable. There’s nothing about this existence that’s going to feel good no matter what I do. I’ve shut the door to the Recovery Room and will do my best to stay away from other people so that I don’t ruin the day for everyone who has to put up with me.
19 years ago, I was contractually obligated to be in Indianapolis on this date. That meant I had to leave on Ben’s 10th birthday. There was a big party going on in his grandparent’s yard when I had to say goodbye. He seemed annoyed that I was interrupting his fun. After all, it was his birthday. There were more important things than Dad leaving, right?
I didn’t get to talk to him yesterday. I messaged him, left him a voicemail, but his life still has too many other things going on. I hear from Ben the least. I’m not sure where he’s working or what’s going on in his personal life. From his perspective, it probably doesn’t matter. It never has. Even when his mom and I first separated, I’d call in the evening and after a couple of weeks Ben told me, “Dad, you know you don’t have to call every night.”
What I did get was a very attractive picture of Gabe, my third in line. His hair is about the same length as mine now, only more full, like mine was when I was young. He turns 26 next week. My leaving hurt him the most. He didn’t understand that I wasn’t coming back for his birthday. The phone call I fielded that afternoon still hurts me today. I wasn’t there for my baby. I should have broken the fucking contract and gone back.
Now, I worry how much I’ll disappoint G and Tipper. I need to find someplace to live where someone can take of me without being stressed, if such a place exists. I’ll be leaving two more kids that I love. Maybe they’ll be like Ben and it won’t bother them that I’m gone, that I won’t be here in the morning or when they get home from school. After all, they have their own friends, do their own thing, spend a lot of time in their rooms on the phone or in games. If I’m lucky, they won’t miss me.
Groceries yesterday totalled a touch over $330 including a 44-pound bag of dog food that I struggled to wrangle into the house. One of the issues with having groceries delivered is that it is only right that the shopper be tipped. A 15% tip on yesterday’s order was just short of $45. I would have rather paid a friend to take me and walk with me as I did the shopping myself. It would have been more productive. 12 items were substituted out of a list of 30. That’s over 30%. I have trouble believing that the only substitute available for frozen french fries was “potato puffs.” When I ask for a frozen family meal, an individual meal is not an adequate substitute. Isn’t that just common sense? Apparently not.
Food items and their costs are only going to get worse. There’s nothing I can do to stop that. Earlier this morning I was reading that more companies are looking for ways to reduce the amount of cocoa in their products, including candy makers such as Mars and Hershey. Global warming and disease are to blame. Resources have diminished so dramatically that it is not sustainable for companies to continue using high-price ingredients even if they raise the price. They know that there’s a limit to how much people are willing to pay for a 2.5-ounce candy bar.
The problem isn’t just with cocoa, though. Last year, coffee prices took a huge jump after supplies ran dangerously low. That’s why you’re paying $6 for a six-ounce cup of your favorite brew. Part of the issue is that competitive alternatives, such as mushroom coffee, still contain bean coffee in some form. By the time you add in the cost of the additional processing, the alternatives cost more than the original, making them not so much of an alternative for anyone who’s on a budget, and who isn’t on a budget? More and more of the things we at are being affected by the weather and the result is we’re paying higher prices at the store.
Of course, it would be insensitive of me to not mention that at least we can get to food. There are still millions upon millions of people around the world for whom food is a pipe dream. They keep hoping for relief and each day their hopes are dashed. The problem isn’t so much a lack of food, but a lack of desire to solve the fucking problem. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, billionaires could eliminate hunger completely by 2030. They just have zero motivation to do so.
There is no sunshine today, only gray. This has taken long enough that I can take more pain meds now. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep. I’m not expecting anything to be any better later in the day, though. Why would it? Life is little more than a string of pain punctuated by disappointment.
Plenty of times, I’ve had to do a shoot with less-than-optimal resources. I’ve shot against bare concrete walls, in dim light with a single bulb, and in places where we all needed a shower afterward. I usually can make almost anything work. That doesn’t necessarily mean I like all the photos. Seven (really? seven?) years ago, we did a shoot here at the house because it was cold, wet, and rainy outside. I hung up a couple of sheets to use as a backdrop, and then, for reasons I really don’t recall, I asked the model to hang from a chin-up bar. For the few images I processed, I simply smoothed out the color of the backdrop and ran with it. The results were, in my opinion, boring.
This is where I feel AI makes a good addition to my bag of tricks. I like the model and I like the poses. She did a great job and given that she moved to Florida and had a baby, I’m pretty sure I’ll not get to work with her again. AI gives us the chance to replace the boring background with one that is at least a bit more interesting.
For comparison, here’s a RAW, unedited image from the set:
While AI gives us a lot of choices, I chose to go with fantasy-styled themes that invoke a lot of vines. This, hopefully, gives the impression that, even though you can’t see her hands, she’s hanging from something solid and not just running around with her hands in the air. Of course, that means doing a lot of post work to make sure the model and the background work together. Ugh. Nothing ever comes as easy as one might think. This certainly isn’t a one-button solution. Still, in my opinion, the images are more interesting than a plain background. Let me know if you agree.
I hadn’t thought of this angle before. All the more reason to end conflicts NOW.
Happy birthday to my second-born son, Benjamin Lafayette! I still think of him as some little wild-haired, mac & cheese-eating dude who hated wearing clothes. Now, he’s turning 29. TWENTY-NINE! How the hell is that possible? Can I really be old enough for him to be 29? Here he is being an incredible young man, running around being all responsible and stuff instead of lining up his trains and Matchbox cars all over the den floor. Time flies much too quickly when it comes to our children. Thinking of them as adults is almost impossible, but here they are, doing all the good stuff and doing it better than their parents did.
Speaking of kids, if your kids are in that age group where Lunchables are part of your daily routine, you need to find another routine. According to news released yesterday, Lunchables contain a scary level of lead and sodium. I know, it’s easy and the kids like it and they’re not eating it for every meal. Can it really be that bad? Yes. Please remember, omitting all the sciency stuff, lead makes people stupid. Those of us from my generation should be a sufficient case study to prove that point. You’re probably not going to like this suggestion, but making them a sandwich or “lunchable” type of meal on your own, as time-consuming as it is, would be much better for them. We’re guilty of hooking our kids on processed food much too early in their lives because it’s easier. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else. I’m glad that my kids are old enough to get up and cook their own lunches to take with them. In fact, that’s exactly what Tipper is doing as I type. Please, don’t follow my example on this one. Stop feeding your kids Lunchables.
Yesterday kinda sucked. I’m not sure why this happened, but about 10:30 yesterday morning my digestive system rebelled and made me more ill than I’ve been in several months. I was running back and forth across the hallway to the bathroom most of the day with far too much intestinal pain. I don’t know if this was a side effect of the chemo or if I ate something stupid. It seems to be gone for now, but I’m still tentative about eating anything substantial.
The good news is that my SS check hit my bank account this morning! While it’s not a lot, it means I can actually pay some bills and take care of some much-needed food items. Of course, I’ll be budgeting carefully to make sure it lasts all month, but the relief I’m feeling at this moment is substantial. And the odds are pretty high I’ll be having fried chicken for lunch.
One other strange thing that happened yesterday is that one of the buses at Tipper’s school ran into a police squad car as they were leaving the school. Apparently, the squad car took the brunt of the force, neither the bus nor the kids on it were hurt. Still, it caused all the buses to be about 30 minutes late. It wouldn’t be worth mentioning if this was the first time this same bus/driver has had an accident while leaving the school. Last spring, just about this same time of year, it was a car they collided with, and again, it caused all the buses to be late. I’m not going to blame the driver right off, but there’s a stop light at that intersection. There’s no sensible reason for anyone to be having a collision there. Someone’s not paying attention.
Okay, there’s a lot to try and do today. I may do a photo dump later? Maybe. You just have to stay tuned!
Dreams are odd and unusual things that sometimes have a meaningful message and other times are nothing more than a series of bizarre images that have no noticeable relationship to real life. Sometimes, dreams are replaying events of the past, especially those one wishes they could change. Other times, dreams indulge in fantasies, things we might like to do if we didn’t have to suffer the consequences of doing them. Dreams are not trustworthy. Dreams are not predictable. They are glimpses into a part of our mind that science has yet to understand. So, when I dreamed of a movement to eliminate billionaires the hard way, I woke up trying to tell myself that it absolutely does not mean that I’m bloodthirsty.
In my dream, we (those faceless individuals with me) commandeered a submarine and torpedoed Jeff Bezos’ yacht. We (presumably the same group) then used a surface-to-air missile to take Elon Musk’s plane out of the sky at 30,000 feet (Is that even possible?). Immediately, the world started being a better place as the billions of dollars they hoarded were distributed more equitably through charities named in their wills. While their deaths were news for a moment, people quickly forgot all about them and went on about their business.
Reality would be much different, however. For all the calls to “eat the rich,” killing rich people isn’t sufficient to redistribute billions of dollars of wealth equitably. Billionaires have wills, trusts, and succession plans already in place to make sure that whoever comes behind them continues to build on the wealth they already have. Like fighting the legendary Hydra, cutting off one head only causes two more to pop up in its place. If we’re really going to put an end to billionaires, all of them, then we are going to need a much better plan, one that ensures money is getting to where it’s most needed.
First, let’s take a look at who, exactly, we’re talking about when we use the term billionaire. Forbes just updated their list last week. Consider who’s hoarding the most wealth.
The number of billionaires has increased by 141 over last year, up to 2,781 with an aggregate value of $14.2 trillion. The US has the most, by far. China comes in second and India third (up significantly from last year). It is almost impossible to wrap one’s head around how much money these people have. Let’s examine the obligatory comparisons.
Excluding war, these are the four biggest problems addressing the world at the moment and they could all be completely eradicated by 2030 and our group of billionaires would still have more money than they can possibly spend. Think about that for a moment. All the world’s most critical needs can be met if the world’s billionaires would kindly get their heads out of their collective asses.
Apparently, all those billionaires need some incentive. The go-to response is that they need to be taxed. That sounds like it should be an easy solution. However, the US government wastes approximately .51 cents of every dollar on bureaucracy. Even at the most streamlined methods, it would still double the cost of any endeavor. Other countries are worse. Then, once the government has the money, there’s the fight over who gets how much. Inevitably, the military, which doesn’t need any more fucking money than it’s already getting, would be yelling and screaming for more and there are far too many politicians willing to give it them because of the pull the military-industrial complex has. Several billion would be lost to pork projects in individual states under the guise of “creating jobs.” The inefficiencies of government cause very little actual help to reach the people who need it.
A much more efficient way would be for the billionaires to get together and handle these matters themselves. They already have the people and the structure and, unlike governments, have reason to operate in the most efficient way possible. Think of all the good Chef Jose’ Andres is doing with World Central Kitchen and he isn’t a billionaire! These problems are fixable without involving governments and the solutions would almost certainly last longer and be more effective than any government-funded project would be.
The problem is, that billionaires don’t want to work together and don’t want to let go of the money they’ll never spend. The motivation has to come from people like us. We have a couple of choices: either we stop buying their products and dump their stocks (which puts more money in our own pockets), or… we start buying rocket launches and putting them to good use. How many billionaires do you think we’d have to blow out of the sky before they got the hint?
Before you get all self-righteous about murder being wrong, stop and think about the degree to which billionaires who could help world problems and don’t, are accessories in the deaths of millions of people who die because they didn’t have enough food, protection from the elements, enough education to survive, or sufficient access to healthcare. MILLIONS of people that they could and should be helping.
There is a moral responsibility we all have to help those in need. Hoarding wealth in extreme amounts does not excuse anyone from that responsibility. Knowing that you could completely eradicate an inhuman condition and doing nothing more than throwing pennies at it (donations less than $100,000,000) makes you just as inhumane. Billionaires are the real animals in our society, and yes, that includes the ones you like.
This all brings to mind the French Revolution and the solution they found for the inhumanity of the rich: cut off their heads. The advantage of using rocket launchers is that you don’t have to get as close to the filth.
The eclipse that’s been widely anticipated for well over a year has passed. I’m still not 100% sure what is lurking behind the sun in my picture, but I’m going to suggest to NASA that we launch a satellite with a big sign that says “Tatooine 5, 3879 million light years –>” just to be safe. Beyond the eclipse itself, one of the things I found interesting was how everyone in our neighborhood was out in their yard with their families, watching with astonishment. There were cheers, gunfire (of course), and a sense of togetherness that I’d not experienced at any other event. At that moment, we were all simply human, no other qualifiers were necessary. We could use more moments like that to bring us together as a planet.
Minus the nut jobs, of course. I’m sure there are some disappointed “prophets” this morning.
We came in and everyone except Kat fell asleep. G is up and around now (5:21 AM) so he can take a shower, but he missed dinner completely. Tipper ate a little bit, then fell back asleep. It made for a quiet evening so that Kat could watch Purdue lose in peace. Poor Purdue.
Thanks to the gift from another friend, the bank account is out of the negative so far this morning. It won’t stay that way. An $11 recurring bill comes out today and that will put us back in the negative. This is more trying than usual. I’ll feed the dogs the last of the dog food this morning. The cat food is low but we’ll make it. There’s a chance that my SS check will come tomorrow, but I’m not betting on that. Why would I?
Meanwhile, as we were sleeping away with dreams of the eclipse, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, ruled that Switzerland violated human rights by failing to take substantial action on global warming. The ruling is in response to lawsuits filed by three different groups, one being a group of more than 2,000 older Swiss women. The penalties vary according to the individual lawsuits, but have no option for appeal and are legally binding, setting a precedent for all EU countries.
Imagine if that were an option here. Do you think US courts would even consider such a case?
OH, and in a follow-up to our article on fashion shaming, there’s a story out of Cleveland, OH about a 38-year-old mother of two who was dress-coded at library story time because her sweater showed a bit of her tummy when she picked up her one-year-old. 🙄 Cleveland obviously does not rock as much as it thinks it does.
Okay, cats are screaming to be fed and dogs are whining to go outside. I’ll write more later. Thank you for reading.
Yes, there’s no question that the full eclipse was something wonderful. Sitting in the front yard with all the neighbors doing the same was special. Listening to the Star Trek soundtrack coming from IMS as we hit the point of totality was awesome.
I can confirm that no one from our neighborhood was raptured. Perhaps more importantly, I can confirm that no one from the track was raptured. There were a lot of people shooting their guns which is always disturbing, but we’ve kind of started expecting that from the nut cases around us.
I tried taking a picture of the totality with the RAW camera on my phone. I zoomed in, trying to get a decent shot, and… WTF is that shadow? I’m assuming it’s from the lens. Please, tell me it’s from the lens. If it’s not from the lens, uhm… someone call Neil deGrasse Tyson, stat.
A Different Summary of the News
My phone keeps waking me from my naps as news updates keep coming in at the end of the week. To be honest, not everything I’m being sent strikes me as news. And some of the news I’m getting has me rolling my eyes at the levels of stupidity being displayed.
For example, take the self-immolation of a man outside the courtroom where the former president is being tried for a hush-money scheme. The initial reaction was that it had to be a response to the trial. Nope, the poor man is critically ill and consumed with conspiracy theories he’d gotten off the Internet because, ya’ know, it’s all a conspiracy. The man is currently in stable but critical condition. Is there any real hope for his mind, though? Probably not.
Israel apparently sent ONE missile to Iran. Just one. And now, on the backside, neither Israel nor the US are admitting that anything was sent in Iran’s direction and Iran isn’t admitting that they were attacked. The rest of the world is waiting to see who flinches next. Crude prices have stabilized for the moment, but no one is thinking that the conflict between the two countries is over. If this seems like a strange way to run a war, you are correct.
Democrats saved the funding bill for the Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan after three Republicans on the committee attempted to sabotage the bill by voting against it. Normally, a bill with the Speaker’s blessing would move forward on a party-line vote, but Reps. Massie (KY), Norman (SC), and Roy (TX) voted against advancing the bill. This signals that the pro-Putin minority in the house, traitors everyone, is likely to find that Democrats don’t give them the victory of unseating a second Speaker, either. More Republicans are voicing their concern that the pro-Putin clan is possibly violating the law, which may not go well in an election year like this one.
Oh, and there’s a new issue of the Wonder Woman comic, #8, where the villain uses a “Rope of Lies,” the opposite of her Lasso of Truth, to trick the superhero’s mind into thinking that she’s a beleaguered housewife under the rule of a cruel husband who keeps throwing malicious Bible verses at her to keep her under control. At the end, her mother helps her escape and she yells to her captor: “Your Christian god means nothing to me!” Of course, there’s a lot of right-wing clap back and one DC artist has refused to work on the issue. That doesn’t surprise anyone as it’s been their response to any challenge for the past 20 years. They don’t have any facts on their side and everyone knows it.
So, after having my nap interrupted so many times, I’m going to go take another one, short as it may be.
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