March 30, 2010 - Waking up...

I saw on the internet the other day where a congressman stated that if the mandate to purchase health insurance was not deemed unconstitutional by the courts, that the government would then have free reign to "mandate", order, whatever, us to purchase things we may or may not want, such as an energy saving vehicle from G(overnment) M(otors), and if we didn't do that by a certain time, they would penalize us for disobeying them.

For some reason, people don't believe they would actually do this. Then, I ask, why are they doing it now? It was passed under the guise of Health Care Reform. Now people say we have socialized medicine. No, we don't. What we have is the first step to allow government to control our lives in detail. If they can force you to do this, they can force you to do anything.

Universal Healthcare is not mandating everyone to buy health insurance. Universal Healthcare is where anyone, anyone at all, can walk into a doctors office, hospital, doc-in-a-box, wherever, and receive healthcare. It is paid for by everyone who pays taxes through the government. The government pays the doctors and nurses salaries, they don't mandate that the doctors must see people and then receive only a fraction of the cost to do so, which allows the doctors to say "we're not going to see anymore of these people."

Universal Healthcare does no allow Pharmaceutical companies to continue to gouge customers in this country while selling the same drugs to foreign customers for a fraction of what we have to pay.

No, we do not have Universal Healthcare, and we are not heading in that direction. We have government control disguised as Healthcare, and it's just the first step.

Another congressman was asked why it took four years before it took total effect. His response? Because it will take that long to create the administration necessary TO CONTROL THE PEOPLE!

Wake up, America... or we're going down for the count.

March 15, 2010

Last week we had to clean out my mother's apartment. Even though I did not have what anyone would call a relationship with her for the last several years, when she broke her hip and was operated one, the doctors informed me she would be going from rehab into a nursing home. Since there was no one else available to do it, there were certain things that had to be completed.

The fact that she had never agreed to establish a Power of Attorney for such a time as this, I stall had to do a lot of these things. The main one was finding out what was needed for her to break her lease, and then how we would go about cleaning out her apartment within a short time frame.

Being the cautious one, I tried to find out what kind of authority I had to dispose of her things. The response I received from a social worker was that no one had ever asked before, they just did it, to hire a lawyer and find out. Well, I do not have the income to hire anything or anyone, let alone a lawyer, and pay money I do not have in order to do something I really didn't want to do to begin with.

So, I just decided to do it.

The first step - have the grandsons stop by and see if there was anything they might like to have that would remind them of their grandmother when she was a tad bit more human than she had been in the last so many years.

One son lives in Maine, so he couldn't come down, so we selected several things we thought he might enjoy having and will take them to Maine with us when we go in May.

The other two came by and looked everything over. One selected a few things, the other said they had no room, but when we went through photos she had to let him see those.

During her life, mother never threw anything away in the way of clothes. My wife went through all those, selecting certain ones we would take to mother in the nursing home. One that were worn beyond their live span were tossed, and the rest went to Goodwill.

She was a photographer of sorts, had won some prizes in shows she entered, and had about 20 framed photos. Several family members took several, and we took the bulk to the nursing home, telling them if she did not want them to feel free to hang them around the home. I just did not want them trashed as they were all excellent, and beautiful photographs.

Mother was also a meticulous record keeper in her aware days. This mean I had to go through every single one of her files to determine if it needed to be kept, or could be tossed out. While going through them, I discovered photos of my father that were in excess of 100 years old, and several pictures of my mother and sister that had been buried in strange places. Had I just tossed it all out, I would have not found the pictures.

As for her furniture, it was all very well used, and so decided to call the Salvation Army. They came by and took what they wanted, most of it good, and usable. That way, someone who was not as fortunate could put these things to good use.

The thing that bothered me the most was the fact that even though mother was unable to care for herself, or make decisions in her current mental state, I still felt like I was taking apart her life, and scattering it into the winds to be blown who knows where.

It was then it struck me how pointless life was unless we could do, and did do, what we really wanted to do with it. Realizing that makes me wonder what the purpose of life is for the majority of people, myself included. History will remember the royalty, the politicians, the inventors of useful things, the scientists that created wonderful medicines, etc., etc.. But for the rest of us, no one will know, no one will care, that we were ever here.

Perhaps her photos will live somewhere for a long time, and people will wonder who she was and what was the reason she took that particular picture? One can hope, anyway.

But for most of us, with the exception of our immediate families who will remember us for a few years, the world is too big and busy to remember we were here...

So, if not for doing what we want to do, what is the point of life? And no, I'm not interested in some religious thing about trying to get to heaven... I don't believe in heaven and hell...

March 5, 2010 - The beginning of the end...

My wife lost two of her aunts this week. One, named Lula, was one hundred and three, and 6 months old. The other, Frieda, was 96 years old. We are glad that we took the time to go to the family reunions and as a result, were able to get to know both of them. Lula's philosophy was the one I hope to live by, even just starting at my age. It was simple, and powerful - If you have a problem in lfe, deal with it, and move on. During her lifetime, she buried one husband and three children. She lived alone on her farm until the age of 101.

I am in the process of cleaning out my mother's apartment. It is not a task that I find enjoyable, but there is no one else to do it. So I am, with help from my wife.

Mother broke her hip, had surgery, and is currently in rehab. From there, she will go right into a nursing home. The fact she is still alive while I go about disposing of her past life is disconcerting. I feel as if I am stealing things, and destroying those things I cannot keep with me, or pass out to the family. It would be easier, I suppose, if she had passed away. Perhaps then I would not feel like I am intruding on her or her space.

Also, a word of advice to all. Make sure your children have the following documents available to them for when they need them. The documents are - A will, a Living Will, and a Power of Attorney document. If these are not available, it makes trying to do what is necessary a real nightmare.

February 19, 2010 - Interesting discovery...

While not revealing the reason behind this comment, I will say that I have found out first hand that if you do not have the financial means to 'play the game' that requires hiring a lawyer, in certain areas of life, one has no legal rights...

The following is in no way connected to the previous comment -

In the state of Virginia, the laws on the books governing housing subdivisions and their respective "Homeowner's Associations" (I only found one) gives the homeowner zero rights in redressing grievances from a legal standpoint.

The subdivision I reside in has 176 houses. The HO Association collects over $14,000 a year from the owners for association fees. I often wondered why. Where did the money go? We have no sidewalks; we have no pool; we have no playground. What was this money used for?

I set out trying to discover, and to alert the 'community', I forced a meeting of the association board, and the homeowners. It was during this meeting I found out the true meaning of 'community'. It means no one gives a damn!

Out of 176 houses where I personally stuffed a flyer about the meeting, which I had printed at my own expense, there was a whopping six people that showed up! Six - out of 176!

What I also learned was that when they board hired an auditor to review the books, he gave up because they were so messed up he couldn't make any sense of them. When the audit was conducted the association had been collecting HO fees for over ten years, amounting to over $140,000. No one knew where that money went. No one.

All I can say is someone had some fun somewhere at our expense, but as I said above, only six people cared.

And that folks, is why the national government can walk all over the Constitution and our rights. No one cares anymore. We are quietly being funneled into a pool of human robots, blatantly being used to cement to power of the rich, and to give them the ultimate decisions as to who lives, and who doesn't.

February 18, 2010 - Moving to a new project

As of tomorrow, I will have yet another blog where I will write about memories of my life that will offer, I hope, a bit of levity from time to time to the lives of readers. The new blog will be

RobertGodfrey.blogspot.com

I haven't decided what the first entry will be about, but will by the time I actually write in it. I will also attempt to add photos of things and places that I found along the way. Who knows, maybe someone will actually read it and become a "follower".

I will continue to enter on this blog as well, but I will keep all the perhaps not-so-interesting stuff on this blog. I have in the past entered opinion on this as well as other things, and will continue to do so. That way, insomniacs can browse this on occasion to assist them in getting sleepy and passing out over their keyboard. I do, however, regret to say that I am in now way responsible for you waking with a keyboard face...

February 17, 2010 - Thoughts of nothing in particular...

As I slowly, actually, much too quickly, move towards going from an elderly person to an old person, I find myself perusing the obituaries, not so much to see if anyone I knew was there, but to take a pulse of 'the dying generation'. By that I mean I take a rough total of all those persons passing away who were younger than I am versus the number of persons older than I am passing away. As time goes by, there are more younger and fewer older, meaning I am reaching that point where the odds I may soon appear in one of those announcements increases.

I love to read about those whose ages far exceed mine, thinking of all they had seen during their lives, all the history that took place while they could view it. I hope someday to be one of those 'really old' people. I have a ways to go before that happens, and I pray if I am allowed the time, I am aware of it all, right up to the last.

The weather seems to be heading towards spring here in Richmond. The temperatures are beginning to moderate, and there is more rain than snow being forecast for the foreseeable future. While it wouldn't bother me to have another round of a big snow, if it doesn't happen, I can't say I will regret it. I am just now beginning to feel normal with my shoulders not aching all the time from shoveling snow, again and again.

Reading update: Only 25 pages to go in Don Quixote! I have read 866 pages! In small print. no less.

I haven't watched as much of the Olympics as I initially thought I would. For some reason, sitting around watching someone else do something when I could be doing something does not appeal to me. There are too many things I want to do, and am reaching the point where I would rather not even have a TV. Maybe someday soon, there will be one in the trash, and it will be mine! Anymore, most of the time spent is spent watching commercials for medicines I never intend on taking.

Saw an article in the paper where an 84 year old man jumped from a ferry somewhere around Norfolk, and drowned, or died from the action. I would like to know why he did that, but never will. It many ways, I can sympathize with someone that age choosing to end his time on earth, perhaps knowing he would soon end up sitting all alone and staring at the wall for the remainder of his existence, never knowing where he was, or caring. Life really is beautiful; no longer knowing that must be hell on earth.

I am just chock full of happy thoughts today! On the bright side, so to speak, we went to Can Can for a bit of breakfast, having an apricot muffin and an almond croissant. I saw a young lady there who was there the last time we did this, and as she was the last time, was reading a book. I tried to see what she was reading, but to no avail.

There is more interest being shown in Ginny's paintings right now, and we're hoping that will translate into some sales. I put another one of mine out at a store that had sold one of them last December. Wouldn't mind selling it, but we'll see. Still have not painted in a while. Too involved with my writing, that makes nothing $ wise. Why do I keep it up? I have no idea other than because the hope is always there that someday someone will read something I wrote and think it good enough to publish. It's been a long dry spell...

February 11, 2010 - Bits and pieces...

It's been a few days since I last updated the blog, so here goes...

Not much to report. Did go see "Dear John". Personally, I liked it. However, I was the only guy there. The other 50 or so people were all women... at least, they looked like women. Didn't matter to me.

I am approaching page 800 in Don Quixote! Almost finished. Next will be "The Count of Monte Christo" (Spelling? - I'll check on it and correct if necessary)

I have been very busy attempting to move my mother from the hospital bed she now occupies into a rehab facility, which will be followed by a move to a nursing home. It has not been an easy task. I do not have contact with her for many varied reasons, and as a result, being her only living child, there are certain things that I have to do that would have been easier if she had allowed us to set everything up before she reached the stage she has with dementia.

As a result, I now have to attempt to clean out her apartment after I find out what legal authority I have to do it, if any, and it has to be completed by early March. We have gone over and emptied out the refrigerator so that the food would not spoil, and then took all the canned goods that had not passed their expiration dates to the Foodbank. While at it, my wife cleaned up the kitchen in order not to draw any undesired critters.

But, that's as far as we can go until I can get some clarification from someone on how much leeway do I have to clean it out... If I had Power of Attorney, there would not be a problem. In order to get that, it can take quite a bit of time, and I do not have it.

Warning to all parents who have any respect for their children and grandchildren... set all this up before it becomes necessary! We are going to find a lawyer to handle these things and have all this drawn up, and copies passed out to all our children in the very near future. They should not be punished because their parents were too lazy to have this completed. And believe me, it is punishment!

February 6, 2010 - Be careful what you wish for!

That is the truth. Just a little over a week ago I was wishing that it would snow during the day so I could watch it. Well, I watched it last Saturday as it dumped a foot plus on us; I watched it yesterday as it dumped a measly 4 inches on us even though it snowed most of the day (the temperature was above freezing, so a lot melted as it fell); and, I watched it snow all day today as it dumped at least another 8 plus inches on us. And, they say it may snow again Wednesday, that after a little "lite" freezing rain on Tuesday. Just what we need!

Today, however, the first time I shoveled, the snow was still slushy and heavy. I didn't go out again until it stopped around 5pm today, and that was a very light snow, kinda like the one last week, so it was not too difficult to shovel.

I'm getting quite good at cleaning the can off. I try and do it while it's cold to keep the ice from forming on it. I use the shovel on the top, and since the shovel is plastic, I don't scratch it up too badly. Easier than using something else, like a broom or something.

My wife hates this; my sons hate this; but me, I finally feel like we have had a winter's winter!

Tomorrow - Starbucks! More headway on Don Quixote! Past page 700. Only about 190 pages to go!

Didn't sleep too good last night. Hope I do tonight.

February 4, 2010 - New storm, memories of things past

Well, here we go again! Third time this winter, no less. Today and tomorrow will bring us a mixture, or not, or snow, sleet, and rain. It started to snow around 8:am, and is to continue through tomorrow, with a total accumulation of between 6 - 18 inches, depending on where one lives. The last time we had a storm that started like this, a very fine snow building over time to the big heavy stuff, we ended up with 18 inches, with the top four being sleet. It was almost impossible to shovel.

For the future, they are calling for some freezing rain followed by more snow come Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. It's funny to hear people blaming global warming for this. I wonder what they will blame next year when it repeats the snow...

Saw "When in Rome" a few nights ago. Predictable, but we knew that already. We went mostly for the scenes of Rome. The last time we were in Rome was the year 2000. That year we also visited Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terre, five little villages along the northwest coast of Italy.

While in Venice we were enticed, or hijacked if you prefer, by a sales job about visiting an island not far away call Murano. Murano is the world capital for glass blowing. So, we decided to go, and hopped on one of the many speedboats that take you there, free of charge, as they expect to sell you some glass once there.

As we hopped on, yours truly hopped a little too late and proceeded to drive his head down into his shoulders, creating a nasty headache in the process. It was one of those jams where you can hear the bones in your neck crunch, and your head feels like it is being flattened, literally.

However, once there, we enjoyed the trip around the island, and being abel to watch a demonstration of glass blowing by a master. While I cannot remember the man's name, I do remember that he was the one hired to replace all the glass that was destroyed in a fire in the Windsor Castle. (I think it was the Windsor). He had to create the glass for the chandeliers so they looked exactly like they did before the fire. So, we figured he must be pretty good at this.

We have pictures, and someday when I figure out how to add them to my blog, I will do so. Of course, back then, they were actual photographs, not the digital kind, so I need to learn to use the scanner I have as well. Always something!

While there, we did purchase 6 wine glasses. They were shipped to us, and we received them several weeks after we had returned to the states. The place where we bought them keeps records of everything that was ever sold there, and to whom. This is because if one of the glasses were to be broken, it could be replaced. One can tell the quality of the work, because the glasses sing out when tapped.

One of the other things we chanced upon while in Venice was a shop where we found an artist's set up in miniature, complete with easel, tiny brushes, tubes of paint, a seat for the artist, etc., It was amazing detail, and even though it was not in our budget we had to purchase it. As delicate as it was, we managed to carry it around with us for the rest of our trip and return home with it without damaging one single thing! Amazing!

We also saw two homeless men in Italy. The homeless in this country, the US, while not having an easy go of it, seem to have it better in many cases than these men. They were literally filthy, covered in rags - and by rags, I mean clothes that were ragged, shoes with no soles. They had long stringy hair and beards, all matted down with filth. Their eyes, what one could see of them behind all the hair, were watery and bloodshot. I do not know how they lived, if they ever had enough to eat. I had never, nor have I since then, seen two human beings as destitute as they were, although I know there are plenty of them, especially now during the depression.

February 1, 2010 - Bits, pieces, and more snow... maybe

All dug out. Temps about 48 today, so a lot of melting went on. But, tomorrow, possibility of maybe another inch of snow. And then, they are now saying that we face yet another snowstorm Friday and Saturday of this week. I guess this is the peak time for snow in Virginia. Maybe, for once, this year, they will be correct. We have already had over 40 inches of snow within the last year. This, of course counts the one we had late last February, the 13 inch one. Frankly, as much as I will be stoned for this, I love it! This, to me, is what winter should be! And we haven't had to live in Vermont to enjoy it.

The thing I love more than anything about the young children is the beautiful innocence one see in their expressions, and their eyes. At least, the ones who are loved, and live in a home where there is love, warmth, and food. One of the saddest things is knowing that not all children have the opportunity to possess that innocence.

Our granddaughters went sledding! The youngest had to call us as soon as they returned home to tell us how awesome it was! They will be with us tomorrow. If it does snow instead of rain, then we will find a hill someplace so they can do more sledding. We might even go out into the back yard and build a snowman!

I am now on page 625 of Don Quixote. Only 270 more to go! Then, on to "The Three Musketeers", or "The Count of Monte Cristo", or "The idiot" - that last one is also a book, not someone I know. I'm about halfway through "To Serve Them All My Days", and am really enjoying "Americans in Paris During the Occupation". I also purchased a magazine called "France" because it has a long article on Renoir.

I read some time back about an instance where Renoir and Manet were visiting Monet at his house in Giverny. Monet and his family were the models, Manet and Renoir the artists. It seems that Manet would walk around behind Renoir every once in a while to see what he was painting. After a bit, he went up to Manet and whispered in his ear..."He's your friend (meaning Renoir). You need to tell him he should give up painting as he's not any good."

We are now investing n Powerball as well as Mega Millions. I call it an investment because it sounds better than "we're not only throwing our money away on"...

We ate lunch at Firehouse Subs today. They are the best subs I have eaten around here. I like Subway, but Firehouse is the place to go if you want a big, thick, well prepared sub. I guess I'll not lose any weight today. I know, I'll leave one foot off the scale!

January 30, 2010 - Snow, sleds, and digging out...

FINALLY! I got to watch it snow, and I didn't have to stay up all night to do it! Amazing!

Ginny hates it. I think it's great! it never got above 20 degrees all day, and it snowed, and snowed, and snowed! Loved every minute of it.

Yesterday in preparation of the snow, we decided to find out if our two youngest granddaughters had sleds yet. They didn't. They missed out on sledding in December, and I didn't want them to miss out this time. They had never been sledding, and that is something all young people should do.

So, we called all over, and drove all over, and found out that Pleasants Hardware was going to be getting a shipment of sleds and shovels in sometime between 1pm and 5pm. So, we made sure we were there around that time. The saleslady said they would be there sometime during the afternoon, but we should have time to grab some lunch before they arrived. Seems they had a shipment in the morning, and those were gone in an hour.

We left the store and spotted a restaurant across the street called "The Republic" and made our way over there. Ginny had a steak sandwich and fries, both really tasty. I had, and this is not on the list of preferred foods for dieting, but I didn't care, as it was friggin cold out and I was hungry - anyway, I had chili cheese mac! Spicy; great; made my head sweat and my nose run!

Went back to the hardware store and I stood around trying to look like I was looking for something, just waiting for the things to come in. I got there right around 2:30pm. The truck arrived at 4:15... By then there were around 15 people waiting. Ginny grabbed two "SnoBoogy" boards, I paid, and we left to take them to their house.

I told Ginny now that they had sleds they had better go sledding! The reason I said that was because their father, our youngest son, when he was coming up on his ninth birthday, all he talked about was getting a basketball goal for his birthday. So, yours truly went to Sears, and then the hardware for the cement, and spent the greater part of his birthday putting up a basketball goal. I had to stand on the back end of my Pontiac station wagon in order to push the backboard up, hold it with one hand while the other had to place the pin in the pole to hold the thing where it belonged. By the time I finished, I was soaked in sweat, my hands were filthy and bleeding from all the little cuts I had earned while doing this great thing for my son's birthday. I stood back and looked at it, thinking how happy he was going to be.

With that in mind, I almost skipped up the walk and entered the house. Out comes my nine year old son running up to me, and as I waited to hear the words of gratitude flowing from his lips, he said.... "Dad... I want a badminton set!" Amazingly, he lived!

Digging out of the snow was not bad. It was very light, and did not take long. I think I will probably have to do a little more tomorrow, as it seems to be still snowing here and there. They are saying we may have a bit more come Tuesday, and there is a chance for another storm through here next weekend. If that does happen, I guess we'll have to finally admit that it really is winter here! First time in a long time.

This is the first winter I can remember here where we have had two good sized snowstorms in the same winter, but spread out with 6 weeks in between. In the past, we would have one, and another about a week or so later, and that would be it. Not so this year.

Tomorrow, if they re open, we head to Starbucks!

January 28, 2010 - Paintings in the Living Room

I was sitting in "my"chair in our living room looking at all the things hanging on our walls, things we have collected over the years during our travels here and there, and from the art shows we have attended or participated in.

One of the pieces is a pair of cherubs holding one of those air plants. This we picked up one weekend when we upped and went to New York city's Greenwich Village for a few days. We were just walking down the street and noticed some activity in a school playground. There was a flea market of sorts going on there, so we looked around. We spotted the cherubs lying on a table with other plaster items, many of them not fully dried yet. We asked how much they were, and the man said $10, so we bought them! We handled them very carefully, as we did not want to damage them as we brought them home. Once home, and after they had dried thoroughly, Ginny took a small knife and scraped off the excess plaster. They have been hanging in our living room ever since.

Another piece of art is a small watercolour painting done by a man named C. Booth Farcus. C. Booth was 90 years old when we first met him at a local outdoor art show. He painted these wonderful landscapes of different places, all small paintings, all framed, ready to hang. All of his paintings sold for $35 or less, but, there was a catch. Every woman who purchased one of his paintings had to give him a hug as well.

C. Booth was an interesting man. I wish I had been able to spend more time with him and learn some of the history behind his life. He had an artist friend by the name of Cliff Satterwhite, also an artist, who suffered from a mental disability. Cliff was younger than C. Booth, but C. Booth took care of Cliff. In all the art shows they participated in, it was C. Booth who made sure that Cliff got there safely, was able to put his display stand up, and hang his paintings. Then, of course, C. Booth had to do the same for his own work.

C. Booth would sell every single painting he brought with him, whereas Cliff would never sell a thing. It was not that Cliff's paintings weren't good, because they were excellent, it was because Cliff would not let go of one of his "family". Cliff's paintings were amazing! The man could take a photograph in black and white and create a beautiful painting using little dots of colour, somewhat like pointillism, colours that made one think they were looking at reality instead of a painting. But, Cliff only entered art shows where there were monetary prizes. He just did not want to sell any of his paintings.

There was a man who came by his display stand one show, and saw a painting he really liked. The price was $2200. The conversation went as follows:

"How much is that painting?"

"You don't want that painting," Cliff replied.

"Yes, I do," said the man. He walked over and looked at the price, took out his checkbook and wrote a check. After tearing it out, he went back to Cliff.

"Here," said the man. "I want that painting."

Cliff shook his head. "You don't want that painting."

The man held out his check to Cliff, whereupon Cliff took it, and tore it up while repeating, "You don't want that painting."

The man gave up and walked away.

C. Booth told us that Cliff's mother had left a trust fund for Cliff to live off of, and it was administered by his brother. He said if you ever went into his house you would find paintings stacked against the walls of every room in the house.

I felt back then that once Cliff passed away, he and his art would become very well known. I do not know if Cliff is still alive. I can't believe C. Booth is, as he was 90 when we met him, and that has been many, many years ago. I do, however, cherish the memories of both of them and their ability to make others lives richer simply by being who they were, and giving to us who were fortunate to know them beautiful memories of themselves and their paintings.

January 26, 2010 - Books for teens and other irritations

First, the weather. Supposedly there is a snowstorm headed our way. It is supposed to start Friday and go into Saturday. No one knows how much snow we may get, if any, so we'll see if they are accurate or not. The last time a storm took a similar path as this one, we had almost two feet of snow. But, in the world of weather, as in other things, they predict based on what they think will happen. Personally, I hope they're correct, but, only if it snows during the day so I can watch it!

Tomorrow is Starbucks day! Can't wait!

Now to my topic subject.

How many of you have teenage children or grandchildren? Do they read much? I mean things like books, not text messages, or twitters. There is a section in most book stores that house books for teens. There needs to be a classification on books the same as there is for movies. Why? Because there is some real hard core porn in these books labeled for teens.

I am not one to call for preventing books full of porn being kept from anyone, if that's what they want to read. However, I do draw the line when young teens are being fed books by some authors who start out writing provocative stories for young teens, hook them in with characters that appeal to them, and then start writing hard core porn under the same classification.

I ran into this situation years ago when perusing a book for young ladies written by a well known female author that young girls really liked. She had written books that were supposed to help teens deal with situations they might encounter as they grew up. All well and good. Until I picked up her latest book at the time and began to read.

I couldn't believe what I read. Within its pages was hard core porn, using words to describe in detail acts that belonged in Hustler, or Penthouse. The only thing missing were the photos. Fortunately, I had no young girls to worry about. As I stood there, a girl of about ten saw the new book, and immediately ran to her mother wanting to know if she could buy it for her to read. I didn't stick around to see the outcome. I only hoped that the mother would pick up the book and read some of it before she bought it.

Now, do I believe that young people are not aware of these things? Nope! They undoubtedly are. However, they also know about garbage cans, and we wouldn't allow our children to dig around garbage cans just because they might be curious would we? I wouldn't.

Anyone who thinks it okay for they're children to read books that have things in them like a teenage girl who takes drugs and really likes the way they make her feel, and therefore is more than willing to have sex with anyone who her drug supplying boy friend brings around, and to display herself doing certain things in front of a webcam while high, as she puts it, have at it! Then you can sit around and wonder why your kid needs to go to drug rehab over and over, or enjoy the fact that certain things show up on the internet with your naked daughters performing for the cameras...

And to all the moms who allow their 11 and 12 year old daughters to dress like hookers, stop getting mad when some disgusting old pervert ogles her, or for that matter, abducts her. If you do not want this to happen, then it's up to you to stop it before it starts.

I am going to speak to the manager of the B&N Store when I go next time and tell them what I think of them selling porn to teenagers, and suggest someone read the books for young teens and put a warning label on them. And no, I do not believe anything will come of it since no one cares anymore.

January 25, 2010 - Now it's the birds!

I just read a horrifying report on the internet! It seems that several swans (swans mate for life...) showed up at the pond with new mates! Good grief! Does this means that birds are getting into a swinging lifestyle? Or, perhaps even getting divorced?

If swans are starting to get divorced, I guess we should be prepared for some swans to start wearing expensive suits complete with vests and pocket watches and being floated around the pond in large boats driven by gray herons in their formal attire and haughty attitudes. Those would be the swan divorce lawyers and their chauffeurs.

And the ones sitting at the edge of the pond with no feathers? Those would be the male swans who were "taken to the cleaners" by their mates.

Then, of course, there would be the swans with graying feathers floating around with one who has yet to lose their baby feathers. These would be the cougar swans with their young birdie studs.

Then, on top of all that, we would begin to see those black swans with all the rings in their bills, web feet and colored head feathers. These would be the young gothic swans who are rebelling because the pond has been fouled by the lawyers.

Oh, and we can't forget the large, oversized male swans, who have a svelte looking younger trophy swan on their wing. These would be the owners of the swan law firms who deal strictly in high profile swan divorces...

The Super Bowl should be a good, high scoring affair, which means it will be a lopsided game with one team running away from the other one that is over by halftime.

Cloudy, so far, and around 63 today. I guess that means no snow.

Short entry today. Back to work!

January 23, 2010 - Thoughts and other things

Something to see...

I have a friend who takes the most incredible wildlife pictures. He has a blog where he places

pictures. If you want to see some really interesting photos of nature at it's best, take a look see.

His blog can be found at: http://davewhitewildlife.blogspot.com/. Enjoy! I know I do...

I just finished writing a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times Dispatch, responding to a column written by Garrison Keillor. He is obviously one of those "progressives" that feels that if you do not agree with the current administration, you are an idiot!

He stated that "coffee drinkers", most Americans according to him, did not run around waving their arms and yelling. They, being the astute humans that we are not, instead sit and read a reliable newspaper (is there really such a thing? - Man! Wrote that while my arms were waving all over the place! Incredible!) to find out what is going on in the world.

Well, I drink coffee, and, I drink tea occasionally, and I am really sick and tired of people like him, and the government, attempting to belittle and destroy anyone who disagrees with them, and make us all mind our manners and do what we're told.

He had the unmitigated gall to state that Sen. Brown won in MA. because someone dropped a book in a room and scared all the tea drinkers. Of course, the fact the Sen. Brown, a non-democrat/progressive, won the seat in Ma. (only the second time in 126 years that a non-democrat/progressive won it) because, as the voters said, they wanted to send a message to DC, was totally ignored.

While eating breakfast, I could not wait to write my letter. If it is, by chance, printed, I will copy it onto my blog for anyone who might be interested in reading it.

Next topic! The government has authorized that up to 200,000 Haitians would be allowed to come to this country and stay. While I sympathize with them for their terrible misfortunate, I have to ask why? So they can join the 23 million Americans out of work, and the millions who are currently homeless? What's more, the states where these unfortunate people will be housed will have to cough up the money to take care of them. Where are they supposed to get it? Most states are almost bankrupt already, and it's getting worse over here, not better. Sorry, but I just do not understand it.

Different topic. I also do not understand why I have this unquenchable thirst to read all these books on Paris, especially about the 1920s through the 1940s. I am purposely reading the most recent one about Americans in Paris as slowly as possible, knowing that as soon as I finish it, I'll want to read more. Just because every time my computer boots up and I access the internet and see my page saver... a web cam of the Eiffel Tower, doesn't have anything to do with it.

I think my problem is that I wasn't alive and in Paris during those years, meeting Joyce, Hemingway, and all the other writer's who lived there during those years. But then, had I been there then, I would not be here now writing about them and reading about them.

Tonight - movie night! "Young Victoria". Only movie currently out that looks good, as we've already seen the others we wanted to see.

Last night - opening at ArtWorks. A few more people there. Didn't see any of the past regulars. Most of the ones who stopped by the gallery area we have picked up one of Ginny's cards after oooing and awing while they perused them. If I took a poll today, most, if not all, probably tossed them away as soon as they returned home. Am I a cynic, or what? Nope. Just been there, done that. One can always hope, though, at least for a few more months before the plug is pulled.

Also, last night, made another trip to the bookstore. Picked up three classics to read should I live long enough. Ginny picked up several as well, so we're well supplied for the next ten years or so. I have made headway in reading Don Quixote, though. Only 365 pages to go out of 895. Need to read some more of that this weekend. Once I complete that, I will start a different classic. By the time I finish reading all of them I probably won't remember a thing, or even know where I am...

January 21, 2010 - Bits and Pieces

I can't believe it's been several days already since the last time I updated this marvelous piece of... what? I don't really have a description, I guess.

Maine, in the region where our son lives, had 14 inches of snow last night. He's really excited about having to shovel out. I can't blame him. I'd get excited too if I had to shovel that much snow. Speaking of which, they say we might have a few flakes blowing around in the air, the snow type, that is, sometime tomorrow afternoon. The other flakes around here walk around, too heavy to be blown around.

We went for our walk today, and it was cold outside. I think it's interesting that I have not seen my breath that much this year when being out in the cold. I'm not sure if it is because it has been so dry out, or because I'm no longer breathing, and I just don't realize it.

There is an opening tomorrow night down at ArtWorks. It will be interesting to see if anyone shows up for it. Many openings from last year were very poorly attended compared to 2008.

I am an official member of the Virginia Writer's Club for the year 2010. I plan on networking as much as possible to see if that has any impact on my being able to publish my book. I am almost half way through the restructuring, and expect to possibly finish by the end of the month now, or early into next month. I have rewritten the part of one character in the book, the driver person, at least the beginning part. I still have to do the last part which will come once the diary has been restructured. I like the way this is going now much better than last year. Once I have the necessities completed, query letters to publishers will be in the mail, and we'll continue to pursue that end.

I have also spent a lot of time working through the short story I finished several weeks back. I have a little more work to do on that, and I will begin sending that out as well, just don't know where to.

I began reading a new book yesterday, the one I bought on Americans in Paris during the German occupation in WW II. I read where Isadora (A Greek Dancer) Duncan's brother, Raymond, was a great believer in living as the ancient Greeks did, and so ran around Europe, including Paris, wearing a form of Toga and sandals. I also learned that of all the Americans who stayed during the occupation, only one, not yet named, was ever brought back to the US and tried for treason.

Early on, the Germans, who supposedly admired Americans, did not confiscate American property. Unless they were African Americans, and then they were tossed into concentration camps for the duration.

One of the things I enjoy when reading is learning about different people, such as Isadora Duncan. While I knew the name, I knew nothing about her. Such as, she died that the age of 49 in an auto accident in 1927. Prior to that, her two daughters were killed, along with their nanny, when the car they were riding in ended up in the River Seine. After not dancing for some years after that, she began anew, and adopted 6 young children that were in her dance class, referring to them as her "Isadorables".

I've also learned a lot about Robert Bullitt, the American Ambassador who was "elected" by the French government to be the "Mayor of Paris" during the initial occupation of Paris, and to ensure the smooth transition of the city into German hands. It had been declared an open city in the hope the Germans would not destroy it, but when a group of French soldiers decided they would fight to the death, the Germans were gearing up to destroy the city, block by block. Bullitt helped calm that situation. All I can say is, Thank God they didn't destroy it!

I am also learning a lot about the group of doctors who periodically went into Afghanistan to tend to the wounded when they were fighting the Russians. I am a little over half way through that book, looking to finish within a week and a half.

I haven't decided at yet if I will read the biography of Georgia O'Keefe, the artist, or the biography of Alice Longworth Roosevelt. Or, maybe a different book than those. Whatever strikes my fancy.

A few days ago we went into a mall we hardly ever go into and saw where Waldenbooks was going out of business. So, we went in to see what was left, as they were selling everything off at a really good discount. I picked up, among other books, the huge book of New Yorker Cartoons, a coffee table book for a large coffee table. It was originally on sale for $19.99, and I didn't really want to spend that even though I love their cartoons! Well, it was there for $8, so I bought it! I found several others I had debated with myself about purchasing, but didn't. One is the latest novel by Orhan Pamuk, the Noble Prize winning author from Turkey. I had read part of it in the bookstore before this, and did not buy it then as I had, and still have, so many books to read. Now, I have that one as well. I couldn't resist the low price. I fully expect the floor to collapse soon from the weight of all the books we have upstairs.

Lunch time!

January 17, 2010 - Movies, restaurants, and dreams of travel

Friday night we saw the movie "Leap Year". Very good movie! It stars Amy Adams and some guy. Absolutely enjoyable! Even the guy part. It's about a young woman who decides to go to Ireland to propose to her, I don't know what, male personage she's living with? And the trials and tribulations she experiences in doing so. One of the best parts throughout the movie were the scenes of Ireland! Amazing! Can't wait to go back!

When we were in Dublin way back when, we stopped at a small restaurant to have dinner. The maitre de sat us by the front window so we could watch what was going on outside, and, I think, to carry on a conversation since business at that time was slow. After we ate, he indicated he would like to present us with Irish Coffees, on the house. Of course, we accepted. That was some strong coffee, let me tell you! By the time we had finished them, I was really glad neither one of us was driving... anything. Fortunately, we did not knock anyone off the sidewalk as we made out way back to the hotel.

One other event comes to mind as well. Different night. We went to the Temple Bar area, and the Temple Bar, to hear some traditional Irish music. We sat in a corner and nursed our Guiness, listening to the music. In front of us there were five young, relatively attractive, ladies sitting there. In no time, they were joined by four, eager, young men. It was interesting to watch the play as they, over the course of an hour or so, as the young men paired off with the young women. The one young woman who was left alone, so to speak, was the only one there who had several piercings arranged around her lips, ears, eyebrows, and nose. She attempted several times to try and join the fun, and was basically ignored by the young men. If looks could kill, there would have been four dead young men in front of us.

Anyway, we were discussing the evolution of the evening on the way back to the hotel, and I remarked to my wife that what was likely to happen was that the over eager, hopeful, expectant young men, would be left sitting there at the end of the evening wondering where the young ladies were off to, thinking of what might have been. Been there, done that... but then, maybe it was just me, and they would actually score, whereas I was usually left on base wondering why the game had ended so soon.

Because of the scenery in the movie and the memories of travels past, we have decided to eventually find part time jobs doing something, throwing all the money we make into the bank, and then head to Europe in early 2011. Where to will depend on how much money was have saved up by then and how long we could stay.

Saturday morning we met our youngest son and his two daughters for 'brunch' at a place called Kuba Kuba down in the fan. For those who do not live in Richmond, the fan is an older district in the city proper that is full of interesting houses, row houses, and great restaurants. Kuba Kuba is on the corner of Park and Lombardy, across the street from where the granddaughters used to play in the park there.

The food served in the restaurant has a Cuban, Caribbean flavor, and is excellent. Just spicy enough to add a bit of zing to the flavors, but not so hot one's tongue becomes numb to the taste of the food. The prices are very reasonable, and the portions are good sized for many things, just right for the rest.

On the way to the car we passed a house for sale. It was empty, so we peeked in the windows. It looked really nice. But then, it should, since the price listed was $500,000.

Dinner tonight was eaten at Weezys, a restaurant on Cary Street across form the ever popular Can Can. We go to Weezy's when craving crab cakes. One can have 4 crab cake sliders (enough for two people), a good sized bowl of black beans and rice, seasoned, and a bowl of vegetables, all for $20. The crab cakes are $10, and the others $5 each. And, there is more than enough to fill one up and even bring home for eating at another meal.

I was only going to eat one of the crab cakes and bring the other home so I could have another complete meal tomorrow, but my beautiful wife informed me they were not good when reheated. So, I forced myself to eat them both, felt stuffed, hoping they did not go to my waist.

Can Can is our place to go on occasion for Sunday breakfast, which is affordable. We skip eating dinner there, as it isn't affordable, at least not for us.

Diet wise, I have lost 9 pounds so far, with only 16 - 17 to go! I need to lose that by April, so when I go back to the doctor to get my blood pressure checked, maybe it will be good enough whereby I can stop taking the meds for it. One can always hope.

Tomorrow, back to work on the writing! Other than the blog, that is.

Weather wise, I'm going to put the snow shovel back in the shed. Tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future, it is supposed to be warm, 50s and 60s, so I don't think it will snow.

January 15, 2010 - Earthquake...

I'm sorry, but I just have to comment on the tragedy unfolding in Haiti. I really feel for the people who are having to endure the results of this disaster.

However, I find it totally disgusting how many do-gooders have jumped up and taken the opportunity to decry the awful condition of the country after the quake for the simple sake of getting their photos on TV, or in the news to convince someone how much they really care. Our esteemed president said we will not abandon them! BS! The governments that are rushing to help did that many decades ago!

Where the hell were all these "we must save as many as we can" way back when? According to info passed along by the overly concerned news media, 80% of the people live on less than $2 a day! 80% do not know how to read or write! 80% have no access to clean water! And this was before the quake! And you people who are so concerned with saving their lives, I ask, why bother? So they can go back to starving to death, dying from the dysentery they catch because there is no fresh water? Suffering from malnutrition because they cannot afford proper food?

So, run around and do what you think will help them survive, and then, when the story of their plight is no longer newsworthy, and the photographers leave the area, fade back into your previous life and wait for the next opportunity "to rise up and save someone", while the people in Haiti go back to dying the way they were before the quake.

January 15, 2010 - Dogs and other things....

Good news - Ginny sold two paintings yesterday. Now we can eat for another month...

I keep seeing these comments about consumers willingness to spend money being the thing that pulls the country out of the depression we're in. I don't understand how people who have little or no money buying crap made in China and places other than this country can being us out of the depression.

I do not use the term 'crap' lightly. Once upon a time, I used to buy shirts from LL Bean. They were called 'canvas' because they were made from a nice heavy material, and they wore like canvas. The last time I bought them, they were no longer made in this country, and they were made from a very thin material that wore out quickly. And, contrary to popular opinion about less expensive items because they were made with cheap or slave labor, they weren't less expensive. Just recently, I had to purchase some underwear. What I was able to find was 50% more expensive than the last time I bought it, and it feels like tissue paper! I rest my case...

Also, I read where core inflation rose in 2008, and in 2009, but, SS was not raised to cover the increased cost of things. I thought it was supposed to. Am I wrong? Bonuses for bankers and stock brokers went up... hmmmm, must be their stimulus, you know, the money that was supposed to help the economy for all...

The article also said the cost of food went down last year. Obviously they do not shop where we shop. We keep spending more and ending up with less. How does that relate to prices going down?

And, have you noticed the number of big, expensive, vehicles on the roads has increased? Must be that cash for clunkers things... allowed rich people to trade in their their old BMWs, Lexus, Infinitis for newer models...

I wonder if the health care bill being considered prevents doctors from creating those groups that are becoming popular amongst doctors, the ones where they charge $1500 a year just to be able to see them? That's on top of any insurance or patient's $ they acquire as well. I'll bet it doesn't. So, what that means is that as more doctors find out they aren't going to make as much off Medicare and Medicaid, they will begin to move in the direction of 'join my club, or you can't come into the clubhouse'.

Back to Dogs -

I am not a dog fancier, or a dog lover. While I would never do anything to hurt an animal, dogs to me are smelly, slobbering, hair shedding creatures that make too much noise with their incessant barking when the loving owner leaves them out all day to disrupt the quiet of those of us who do not have to go to work.

Perhaps the way I feel is because I was never allowed to have a dog when I grew up. I can't remember every wanting one, but I know I wasn't allowed to have one even if I ever did want one.

When our sons were growing up, we did have a dog for quite a few years. He was a very good pet, but had it been up to me, we probably would not have had him. The way that we acquired this creature was as follows:

I very innocently came home from work one day, and was met by my oldest son, five at the time, who said as I walked in the door... "If Stacy swells up, can we keep the dog?"

My first thought was, "What have you been doing to her?"

Well, I came to find out that the woman who lived in the end apartment we lived in was going to move. They had just brought home a little puppy. Since they were moving, she asked her neighbors if they wanted the dog. The neighbors indicated they did, but that their five year old daughter was allergic to them, so they would have to see how that worked. That's why Stacy would swell up.

She did, and the next thing I know, we have a dog. Everyone said, "Oh, we'll take care of him, we'll walk him, we'll do this with him, we'll do that with him, blah, blah, blah...

So, as things progressed and the pet newness wore off, where would I be found on rainy, freezing days? Why, walking the dog, of course!

The apartment, and later, the house, smelled like dog; the car smelled like dog; the dog had health problems that cost us a small fortune, money we didn't really have. Yes, having a loving pet was our reward. How nice it must be for something that can't talk, work for a living, or do anything except bark and howl when fire trucks went by, and spread fleas around to ruin ones comfort, for them to be able to live in a nice place, and have meals fixed for them with no effort on their part. Almost made me wish I could live a life like that...

All in all he was a good pet, and was missed once he left this world for wherever dogs go, perhaps Hollywood to become loud mouth, know it all actors, or Washington, where they become loud mouth, know it all, congressmen and senators...

January 14, 2010 - Good and Bad...

There's a company cutting down some of the neighbor's trees in their backyard.

The temperature is 23 degrees. It's a sunny day. The snow is almost totally melted.

There is supposed to be a "soaking" rain all day Sunday, which makes me wonder what it is going to soak into, since the ground is frozen, and the water table is very high right now.

Looks like winter for this part of Virginia is over for the year.

The Indianapolis Colts will probably lose come Saturday night, since the idiots that run the team wouldn't allow them to have a perfect season. If I were a player and had a chance at a perfect season and they took it away from me for no good reason I would lose the desire to perform at my best, and if that cost an otherwise should-have-been victory, so what. I'd just have that many more weeks of vacation, and I'd still be paid a ridiculous amount, regardless.

Powerball starts here the end of January. I'll donate to that as well as donating my meager funds to the Virginia Lottery. Odds of winning are astronomical, but, someone will win, and if I don't play, I'll never even have the chance of winning.

I have worked on my book and have the base for a new start to it. I have written it, and will now let it bounce around in my subconscious as I move the rest of the book to the new version, and modify the structure as I go. I want it ready by the end of February.

In the meantime I will rework the short story and look for someplace to send it.

I should finish reading "The Angel's Game" next week, so I can then move on to yet a new book. I am more than halfway finished reading Don Quixote. Have no idea when I will complete that one. I have begun reading "To Serve Them All My Days" by R.F. Delderfield (British). It was first published in 1972, back far enough to the time when people actually enjoyed reading good stories that did not contain descriptive sex and violence.

I find that as I get older, being married to someone who comes from a large, close knit family, that any time the phone rings one becomes anxious, wondering if the caller is calling to inform about a death in the family. This has not happened for some time, and has happened several times in the past. It's just that, as big as the family is, and the fact that we're all getting older, there will come a time when the calls begin coming in on an all to frequent basis.

The calls will be from my wife's family, as there are no older members left on my side, with the exception of my mother. All her siblings have passed, as have their spouses. My sister passed away ten years ago, already, my father almost 40 years ago. It almost makes me want to rid myself of the phone, not that that would make any difference.

We are going to walk to Panera's for lunch today. It's a good three mile round trip, but it is sunny and pleasant out, and we can have soup, a salad, or something light once we arrive. Last night, we ate at a place called "Mosaics", which is probably one of my favorite places to eat. They have excellent food at a very reasonable price, and one can even order a half size of most dishes, which is an aid in trying not to overeat. I love their salmon! Last night, I had that, cranberry cole slaw, and smashed taters with herbs and a light coating of cheese! Excellent combination of flavors! I have yet to have anything there that I did not enjoy.

The thing I notice about eating in local restaurants versus chain restaurants is that most of the food in the local places have dishes that have unique flavors, whereas if one goes to a chain restaurant, I have found that most of the dishes taste the same, regardless of what one orders. Probably because the food is all prepared at some gigantic place to save money, frozen, and then shipped to wherever where it is thawed out, heated, and served. Although, the meats are probably thawed and cooked locally, still having been frozen and received versus purchased fresh and locally.

Richmond definitely has some excellent local restaurants! And we never tire of trying new ones...

January 12, 2010 - Oh no! Conan's not on anymore!

No, not Conan The Barbarian! Conan O'Brian, the guy who now, or did, host the Tonight Show! God! What I am going to do? I know! I'll continue to do the same thing I do every night at that time... sleep.

Shame on me! So little sympathy for the tragic end to one of today's most important problems. Who knows? Maybe Conan will soon be seen in the unemployment line... the same one that we now see 17 million other people in. Welcome, Conan! Can I hold your cashmere sweater so you don't get too hot while waiting to sign up for benefits?

Oh, yes, and let's not forget the "NEW" Kate Gosselin! She just received an all day make-over, adding extensions to that unruly mass of blonde hair she carted around before. Unlike other people getting a make over, this one took eight hours and was filmed. "An Extended Hair Documentary" to be shown on some pathetic TV network for people who have no lives to watch. And, they thinks she's dating already as well. I don't wonder. I know many men who couldn't wait to take on a woman with eight children under the age of ten. And a good time was had by all!

Do I sound a trifle cynical? Sorry. I just have a difficult time thinking so many people actually spend some of the little time they have on earth watching the garbage that permeates our airwaves. Oh, you think, I must do that as well, since I writing about it. Truth be known, I get my gossip from reading the rag mags in the bookstore... Like, there is a difference?

Had to turn in to Dr. Phil yesterday, which was Monday. Every Monday, good ole Dr. Phil has his "Dr. Phil Family" on. These incredible blubbering excuses for intelligent human beings have been being "treated" by Dr. Phil for six, count 'em, six long years! That makes me wonder just how effective is the treatment he's giving these... people? They were a sniveling bunch of crying and whining dorks when it began, and now they're even worse! One of them, who was fifteen when this started, has had two children by two different fathers, married some other guy, got divorced already, and has reached the ripe old age of 21. She's had her children taken away from her and cries with every question that is asked, and is mothered by a woman who cries because the girl is just starting to deal with her issues. That's about all these people do is yell at each other, cry, yell some more, cry a lot more... I'm beginning to think that Dr. Phil pays these idiots to continue to come onto his program because, as he said yesterday, it is "compelling television". Yeah, right. It compelled me to switch the channel and look for something constructive, like "Home Hunter's International" on HGTV. Now that's a good program!

Well, I need to run. The news is on, and I want to watch every minute of the press going over Canan's decision, again, and again, and again!

January 10, 2010 - Sunday - cold and dry...

Was found by the wife of a friend I worked with back in Indianapolis in the mid-70s! I was very happy to learn that they are alive and well, and that he got to retire at a relatively early age, ten years before I did. Mike and I have the same birth day, the 20th of August. However, he is ten years younger. He obviously made good use of his career time, unlike yours truly, who skated by and did as little as possible and still make a decent living. It's great that some people actually work. It makes up for those of us who never really did.

Went to Starbucks this afternoon. Got our drinks and snack, sat down to enjoy an afternoon of reading and sipping, and then discovered I had no eyeglasses with me. I went out to the van to see if the extra pair was still in there, and of course, it was not. Too far to drive home to retrieve them, so I settled down to read without them. People thought it was a little strange what with me resting the book on my ankles and turning the pages with my toes, but I managed to read quite a few pages over the several hours we were there.

Watched a bit of the NFL playoffs this evening. It was a very high scoring game, with Arizona winning 51 - 45. that was exciting... I guess. Didn't really care who won. Don't really know why I watched except that I was eating dinner and didn't feel like finding something else.

Tomorrow morning I will rise early, earlier than normal, and get to work on restructuring the book in hope I can find a publisher this year. Later tomorrow, I will go over the short story and start looking for a market for that as well. Who knows, maybe this will be the year I actually make a few $ writing. Would rather win the lottery...

No grandchildren watching this week, which means I have the entire week to work on my stuff! Bummer. Now I don't have an excuse not to. Shouldn't feel that way. It's not like I'm Benjamin Button, getting younger every day.

Speaking of which, we saw "It's Complicated" (Rated R) last night and thought it was a really good movie. Very funny in parts. Saw two young ladies in there that were not seventeen, even with a stretch. They probably paid for another movie and then just came into the theatre where "it's.. " was showing. Who would know? No one checks once you're in the theatre, and so anyone can go into any theatre they want. Hazards of multiplexes, I guess. At least there wasn't anything really bad in the movie. Most of what was in there has probably already been on TV.

Saw where good ole Harry Reid referred to the president as a "Negro", among other things, during the election season. Once again, apologies all over the place, the wording was not appropriate, blah, blah, blah... I'm really tired of all these ignorant jerks saying what they feel, and then thinking an apology sets everything okay... Why ever tell the truth? Maybe, to quote Jack Nicholson in that movie where Tommy "the handsome boy" Cruise questioned him during some trial for something or other... as Jack said "You can't handle the truth!" Unfortunately, that's the problem with most of America. Lie to us enough, even we believe it....

January 9, 2010 - Saturday

Went to the bookstore last night and did something I swore not to do for quite a while - I bought another book! I couldn't resist it. The title is "Americans in Paris During the Occupation". I learned something just reading the forward. During the '20s and '30s many black musicians went to Paris and brought jazz to Europe. That part I knew. What I didn't know was that during the occupation, all the blacks in Paris were rounded up and sent to a concentration camp for the duration. All, that is, except for Josephine Baker, the singer. I had no idea that had happened as it was never mentioned in any of the other books I have read about the occupation.

Anyway, this book tells some of the stories of the more well known Americans out of the about the 5,000 who remained after the Germans took over the city. I understand there were those who sympathized with the Nazis, those who did nothing during that time, and those that were active in the resistance. Josephine Baker was in the resistance.

One of the more interesting stories I ever read about was Edith Piaf, a tiny - 4'10" singer who became quite famous in France prior to the war. France referred to her as "their little sparrow". The Germans knew her well, and loved hearing her sing. So, she made arrangements to perform for the prisoners in the camps. Each time, she would talk the Germans in charge into allowing her to take group photos of the prisoners after the performances. Some of the German guards were also in the pictures.

She would then take the photos to the counterfeiters. They would use the photos, single out certain prisoners in them and create documents needed to exist on the outside. Then, when Edith would go back for another performance, she would smuggle the documents in with her. At the end of the show, she, her entourage, and the prisoners with the documents, dressed accordingly, would leave the camp. Had she ever been caught she would have been immediately executed.

She was an interesting and amazing woman. Her life, minus her part in the war, is documented in the movie "La Vie En Rose", which starred Marion Cotillard. She won the Academy Award - Best Actress - several years back for her performance. We saw the movie, and she was amazing, even pushing her hair line back to look more like Edith.

Edith Piaf did not have an easy life. She was abandoned by her mother. When her father left to fight in WW I, she was dropped off at a house of ill repute where she stayed until she was around 9 or ten. During her stay there, she had an infection in her eyes and was declared legally blind. This lasted for three years.

Her father appeared one day and took her back, not because he cared about her, but because he wanted to use her in his act as a street musician. Over the course of her life, she was a prostitute, into alcohol and drugs, and died at the age of 47 from tuberculosis. The movie is really good, but emotionally draining.

I saw where it was snowing in Paris again. Wish I were there to enjoy it. Shakespeare and Company have some interesting authors appearing there this year.

Today is grocery day, and tonight, movie night. Tonight we will see "It's Complicated".

The weather pundits are talking about the possibility of another storm next weekend. but that is a long way off. I did see on the radar this morning where it was snowing in Florida. Definitely this is a cold winter. I hope we do get a lot of snow next weekend! I guess we'll see.

January 8, 2010 - Short Story finished!

I have finished my latest short story. It's title is "The Cover of a Book". It has between 4900 and 5000 words. I have re-read it and it looks okay, but I will let it 'simmer' for a few days, and then reread it to see if it still looks okay.

That said, I will now focus on the book, researching publishers, and go from there.

I received yet another call from the company that had been trying to find me some work at COF, all to no avail. I told them shortly after Thanksgiving that they should stop looking, as I knew it wasn't going to happen, and in reality, I really didn't want it to. But, they continued on, even after I told them again before Christmas I was no longer interested. I really do appreciate all the effort they have expended, but my focus has been, and will remain to be, writing and art on the side.

We had our big snowstorm last night. A whopping light dusting cover everything with a blanket of white that was quickly blown off the trees, roofs, and vehicles this morning. Most of what did land in the yard has melted. Long range, no more snow for the foreseeable future. If by chance we have a storm like the one at the beginning of winter I will be very surprised. Temps are cold, but will warm next week. The rest of the country, however, is bitter cold with lots of snow!

I have pretty much decided that my health will be governed by what I eat and do, not by doctors, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical companies. Since having an apple on most days, walking, and attempting to eat right - but not all the time - I will decide when and if a doctor visit is necessary. I have not gone for some time, and will not go for any checkup until March. After that, it will be another 6 months before I return for my annual checkup. Should anything catastrophic happen in between times, well, we'll cross that bridge when and if.

I received a new supply of ink for my downstairs printer yesterday. Today I need to go upstairs and print something in order to give the upstairs printer some exercise. It's a backup printer, just in case, and I want to keep it working, even though the laptop it's associated with is old and really slow.

Grocery shopping at Trader Joe's this afternoon, and back to the bookstore this evening. Would love to be in Manchester, VT, and go to the Northshire Bookstore today, and then, to the great little restaurant we found last May and have some REALLY good blueberry pancakes for breakfast tomorrow. Must be close to lunch because I getting hungry!

Read the news about all the jobs that were lost last month. More and more will be lost, which does not bode well for this country. We no longer make things people need here, and all electronics are made in China or Taiwan, so all these new 3D TVs that they think will be sold in this country will probably sit on a lot of shelves here until the stores trying to sell them go out of business.

We should all be thinking seriously about growing our own food, since soon there will be little, if anything to work at in this country save for government jobs. Of course, down the road, it seems rather funny to think that the government will keep expanding and hiring more people in order for anyone to have any money to pay taxes with. Strange world, to say the least.

Time for lunch!

January 7, 2010 - Nothing in particular...

Observations -

Was waiting in the car for my wife to pick up some corn bread from Ukrops and looked down the row of cars to my left. There was, about 5 cars down, a youngish woman using a pair of tweezers to pluck hair from her chin. After looking in the mirror several times she seemed satisfied she had plucked them all and proceeded to leave her vehicle and go to the store...

Saw two notices on the internet today indicating that CNN and CBS are telling us how president has lied to us about his election promise of making government, and in particular, the health care debate, very public. They must really be concerned with so much of their viewing public looking elsewhere for their news.

Cold but sunny today. Areas north and south of us have winter weather advisories, but, we, as usual, have nothing. It's supposed to be raining here by three pm, but right now, at two pm it is sunny and not too cold out.

The ground seems to be frozen up pretty well, which is good. There's even ice on the ponds, and still some decent piles of snow hanging around. Considering it snowed almost three weeks ago, that's pretty good.

Spent yesterday afternoon in Starbucks. If one sits there long enough one sees some really interesting characters visiting the place. There were identical twin brothers in there when we first entered, each using their laptops. They had expensive looking leather satchels to carry them in. Makes me wonder if they were unemployed, or just working in there for a change of scenery.

Went to Panera's for lunch. Had some soup and their new chicken panini samich.

Tonight is ham and bean night at our house! We'll probably keep each other awake all night after that...

Our friend from the Czech Republic is finishing up his first week of Italian in Frienze tomorrow. It's a four week immersion class. Then, he stays for another four weeks to go wherever. His wife joins him on 11 February.

I received an e-mail from a publisher yesterday. They thanked me for inquiring about them. However, I hadn't. At least, not yet. They sent a website address and said I should check their submission guidelines there. I looked up the publisher and their website in a book I have, and it was a good website. I filed it for possible later use.

Not much going on today...

January 6, 2010 - Getting restless - again...

It's that time of year again! But then, when isn't it? I'm getting restless and thinking of selling the house and heading overseas. I think I'll wait and see what the tax assessment is before getting too excited about that possibility. I don't want to sell it when it might appreciate in value the next couple of years.

We have begun taking daily walks, even though it is cold out right now. I did see where the temps are supposed to moderate to around 50 by next week sometime. Too bad. I'd rather have it snow some more, like, all the way through the end of February. Then it can warm up and rain.

I read about a place in New York where it has snowed every day since late December, and they now have 55 inches on the ground, with more on the way. We'll have to wait and see if the next system will bring us any. It's supposed to hit the midwest pretty hard again, but the pundits say only that it "could" bring us some snow Thursday or Friday. That includes Atlanta, which at least in the past, if they got snow, we got snow. However, unless the system heads off the coast, and then comes up the coast, we'll get very little, if any.

I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, we moved down here from Maine because we were tired of the cold weather up there.

Lunch today with my friend who grew up in Turkey. He purchased a new Outback, and I am anxious to see how it performs. Where we'll go to lunch? Don't know yet. Don't care, really. All I'm going to have is a salad of some sort.

After that - Starbucks, lattes, and reading for the afternoon!

Saw where yet another player of baseball received $120 million for seven years. What a waste of money! I wonder how the sports teams will be doing later this year after people can no longer afford to go to games. The economy will eventually hit them as well, and frankly, I wish everyone would stay away from the stadiums, but, we all know that won't happen, just like all the people who complain about the idiots in congress will complain while they reelect the same bums that are there.

They listed some of the latest restaurants that are closing due to the economy in the paper today, some that we have gone to, but like many others, have not for a while. Too bad. More people out of work now.

I think it is disgusting how many American companies have left this country to seek "cheaper" labor in other countries. Their products are just as expensive as they ever were, in cases more expensive. But, they could care less. Their big concern is satisfying the huge Chinese market, since that is where they can make the most money. The US is nothing more than an afterthought now.

And still, the powers that be keep saying we just need to come up with the next big thing, whatever that is. If there is another big thing, it will be made in China anyway, so what does that get us?

I corresponded with Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's Secretary of Labor, a few years ago, about all the outsourcing that was draining jobs from American soil. His response was that we needed to adapt, that outsourcing would create opportunities for Americans to be retrained into the new fields that were just emerging. We never got into exactly what those fields were, or the fact that no company I can think of would retrain their older workers in new technologies and pay them what they were making. I cannot think of a single company that will hire a person over fifty who has retrained themselves to do something, and pay them even close to what they were making, and that's if they hire them at all.

Even though the trend is for more "old" people in the future, all the thrust of advertising and jobs is for the younger generation. This tells me that most companies will treat anyone over fifty as if they were non-existent, lower their sales expectations, and market their goods overseas to the younger generations of the upcoming leaders of the world, China and India.

This president, and presidents past kept telling us that America's best days lie ahead. This while everything keeps sinking lower and lower... And, we hired them to lead us to this better place, but where they are taking us is into the morass of newspeak... George Orwell, we may be a few decades late, but we're coming, man, and we're picking up speed!