Past Few Weeks

Quite frankly, I hope never to go through anything like I have had to experience in the past few weeks ever again.  It has been one of the very worst experiences that I have had to endure and I have hated it more than anyone can know.  Today, I believe that the workers who are plastering the final and last building in this set are finally near the end. Never will I be so happy to see people go than I will be to see this lot of miserable cusses go.

If anybody ever knew what lay ahead for them in this journey of life, probably most of us would say no way to it and find something else to make their days pass. Unfortunately, none of us know for certain what any of the days ahead will deliver to us.  I am ever mindful of all the adages that men coin just to sustain them during their toil on earth, but those are merely means to pour ointment on a miserable condition.  I could take all those adages and throw them out the window in a minute to say just quit kidding yourself so much, buddy.

Because i have had an inordinate and most unusual amount of early morning pain in this experience, I am seriously sorry for all those poor souls who are having to undergo bombs and war weapons falling all around them. Russia and the Ukraine is a sorry situation where so many innocents are being hurt and trapped by evil forces around them over whom they have no control at all, as well as the Middle East where Muslims are warring with one another and trying to involve all of the rest of the world in their own muddled affairs.  ISIS is drawing the USA into another military action to rid ourselves of these barbaric terrorists.  Israel and Palestine have been fighting each other for months on end, killing endless numbers of innocent men, women, and children for no reason at all except the motivation of hatred and envy, and a need for self defense.  What a world in which to live right now...Not good at all to bring children into those areas of the world, but humanity being what it is, people continue to rape and pillage, and unfortunate young are made to be brought into a world of hate and hostility.

I heard Barack Obama last night on his t.v. speech in which he repeats senseless patter about how it is that the USA will drive out the forces of ISIS and how much he hates to admit that he is being brought into another military action in the Middle East. Since most of his speech emphasized the Muslim faith I do understand now why so many believe that he is secretly and honestly more Muslim than Christian.  Obama says one thing but does another and finally, this time he said enough to convince me that he is more than just a little bit tied to the Muslim world. He could very well be a Muslim himself after all.

I am not totally convinced that Barack Obama is a natural born citizen of the USA.  I know that many efforts have been made to prove his birth status.  He is a bit of a problem in that respect.  If proved that he is not a natural born citizen, his entire two terms is that of an imposter.

But his last sentence and attitude betrayed him to me last night on t.v.  I have never seen such hostility and anger come out  of a man after saying God Bless America.  I am stunned even yet as I recall it.

Why would he be so hostile is what I want to know?  He has a very deep hatred burning in him for something.  And I am wondering what it is and why.

Record Rainfall Today

I thought that the harvest moon was supposed to be tomorrow night but I did go out to see the full moon after it was mentioned on the news tonight.  I will try to see it come up tomorrow if I can remember to do it.

We had a record rainfall due to some hurricane spinning off into the Pacific, and it  was so intense that it broke all records for the region.  NBC was calling it the storm of the century.  It has created havoc but I stayed home and would not even try to navigate the roads that were supposed to be flooded.  Since it happens every time we have a storm here I wonder why it is that people dare to try to drive in flooded streets.  My conclusion is that they like trouble enough to seek it for themselves.

I am so tired of the remodeling going on here at this apartment that I was happy it rained so that the workers would not be able to do anything today. I actually appreciated their having to delay the work on the apartment for a day or so.  I am sure that they will be here tomorrow to do their work despite the muddy conditions.

I will cut this short and maybe continue with it tomorrow.  I am reading Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter and am now about to go to Rome in her story of the children of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra...it has really wakened me up to a lot of things.  I will discuss those things in a different post since I must go to bed now.

Thursday Morning, August 28, 2014

This summer has nearly gone which means that Christmas is right around the corner.  Time goes way too fast and this year has been one of the worst summers I have experienced to date.  I had wanted to get away from here for at least a short time but alas I was not able to do it.  If I can make it to Del Mar for the third which is closing day, I may try.  But the distance and the cost is a bit too high for me at this point in time.  Sadly, age will not make me any younger and I am concerned that as time passes I will just get worse and worse instead of better.  No chance of ever getting better.

So on that note, I understand why it is that the elderly become conflicted about life and death.  Death is coming as it can never be avoided. Learning how the body goes belly up on you makes it easier to accept sooner rather than later, but for doe reason many souls must last decades longer than their friends, family, and neighbors.  Nothing worse than having to be in an old folks home where nothing but neglect is the standard.

The reason I am discussing this is that infirmities at old age become somewhat neglected as well.  Why repair damaged body parts if one is going to just simply soon discard them permanently?  It seems that the only people who value old age are the people who make money from it, the medics, the old age homes, and the funeral directors.  Nobody else can find much consolation in it.

I am suffering from a dental problem right now. I wonder why I should bother to have a tooth repaired at this old age.  I am wondering about it.  All that I will say for now.

Tuesday, August 26, Scottsdale, Arizona

1. The men who plaster did not come today thanks to the weather forecast most likely.

2. Two men who are painting did come to do something to the roof.  They are gone now.

3. The promised rain has not come to this area at all but I had noticed that one forecaster had said that it would affect only half of the county anyway.

4. We have a substitute mail lady this week.

5. I used my Wolfgang Puck blender to grind my steak into burgers.  It worked perfectly and what wonderful burgers those are.

6. I found a special store in Tempe near Southern for the best produce anywhere bar none. It is for businesses mostly since it is all bulk and oversized but the produce and deli meat is small enough for individuals.  Best tasting strawberries.  Fun thing is that one must wear a provided coat to walk into freezer to obtain goods.

7. I made the best pinto beans this weekend. I used Phyllis Stokely's method of preventing gas and farts by pre boiling beans three times for ten minutes.  Then I used another recipe for basis of dish: beef stock, pork belly, onions, and celery and cooked  in pressure cooker for 30 minutes.  I saved half by freezing.

8. I bought my own silicon ice cube trays from Crate and Barrel so I have ice at all times that is from my Brita filter.

9. I have loads of work to do but have been on Facebook all morning long.  I posted a beautiful video of Planet Earth.

10.  I prefer to keep my silence at times over some issues but the Ferguson, Mo. problem and the illegal immigrants from Central America are still a source of annoyance to me.  The only good response so far has been from Bill Cosby who said it right.

Just had to take a walk

There are times when one really feels that the sky is falling after all.  Not a joke.  The sky is falling.

We had monsoon weather the past few days and the humidity is high but temps are down. I just walked around the building to  get exercise and to clear my mind as well.  So many things are bothering me right now.  Not only world affairs which makes one feel totally impotent and helpless when one does not have the authority or the means by which to end all the things that plainly upset us,  but also all the daily problems that creep up on us when  we did not want them there at all. I think at this stage of life we all hope that everything will be serene and lovely, peaceful and quiet, and free from problems of any kind.  To have any problem weighing in on one after retirement is grossly unfair.

Fortunately, the one good thing that has come from all this summer's activities is the development of close ties with the neighbors since we all are bonding in a way that we probably would not have imagined.  We live so tightly together that we cannot help but commiserate with one another about all the noise, confusion, inordinate amount of workers all together at one spot, and some of us fall into the category of seniors or aged ones.  That makes us laugh together at the young neighbors who naturally see us as old timers. But because we do not get any notes about what is going to happen next we are more than frustrated.  I think that the least that the office could do is to keep us up to date on what to expect next in the way of the remodeling process.  We have a new t.v. in the laundry room for which there are no instructions.  We were not even told about the upcoming remodeling at the time we signed our lease, and that alone makes me more than a little bit disgusted.  We have new management who is not on the ball about anything, and we have new assistants every time we turn around.  The place is a madhouse in many respects.

Buildings 8 and 9 are finished so that we can get an idea of how we will look soon.  It is rather difficult to like this color scheme  that we are about to have.  Two tone colored sand and deep brown with green roof, green railings, orange stairs,orange doors, and orange shades.  We have a new name: The Viridian, which is supposed to mean green I am told.  We will soon have a new look with new landscaping as well.  Already the first two buildings have all the landscaping set.  I hope that we get some of that here on this side too.

That full moon which was so round two nights ago and the one that we in this area did not get to see at all, emerged tonight as only a half moon.  How the  heck it changed so fast from a full moon to a three quarter moon I suppose but so shriveled now it looks like a half moon.  But it was very golden in color.    I guess September 9 will be the next full moon to be considered super.  Hopefully, there will be no cloud cover.

I am placing photos I took of the mess that was at my doorstep last night and this morning. I put the cardboard boxes down so that i could walk out to the courtyard.  It was such a mess since it had rained as well.  I did not want to get concrete or plaster onto my carpet.  Fortunately, Kelly did come by to take a look, and I made my complaints.  She came before I put the cardboard down. All I had when she was here was one plastic sheeting and one bedroom sheet.  Later in the morning, one of the maintenance crew did come to clean up the mess, pick it up and took the cardboard boxes away as well.  Finally, by late afternoon, it began to look like normal so we could all feel a bit more comfortable.  I threw a bitch about it but it got things done.  I was furious.  I thought it was insulting.

The worst imaginable has happened.

Tonight I watched Rush, a movie made by Ron Howard, about a pair of racing stars in the 70's.  It is a great movie telling the story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, two competitors in the 70's, one a Brit, and the other an Austrian, who were both vying for competition as the world's champion race drivers.  

My knowledge of race car drivers is limited but there are many jokes about them. I did know a woman who was enamored with drivers of funny cars in California.  She was smitten with a driver and to some extent because of her, I learned a little about the racing world.  It has frankly never appealed to me, because i think that driving in circles round and round is worse than watching some old 78 play on your record player.  No fun for me.  But for some reason or other, it attracts a crowd. I have actually gone to one race to see cars in action, in Ontario probably, but still it did not turn me on at all.

So I watched the movie and really did like it. It is a good story, enthralling as can be, because it does focus on the special skills and talents of those who are crazy enough to participate in it.  Niki Lauda initially has an altercation with a playboy driver from England, James Hunt.  Niki spins out and that is how and when the story begins.

So tonight by accident or design, a sprint car Nascar driver, Kevin Ward, jr. , had the very same thing happen to him.  A champion driver name of Tony Stewart apparently hit his car so he spun out, and then unfortunately, had the misfortune to get out of his car to go onto the track to point this finger at Stewart who then whether by accident or intent struck him with his car.  Stewart's car did swerve then after he hit him, and people then rushed to Kevin Ward, jrs. side to help him.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital I just read.

Imagine seeing this movie, and getting through the horrors of it as it is a movie with a dreadful message about the safety of drivers and the danger in the game,  we now are treated to a real life story of hit and kill accident.  It has bothered me ever since I learned of it so that I had to finally say something about it.  A driver's worse nightmare coming true.

You see Kevin getting out of his car to be alive and well and angry.  Then you see how quickly it can all change.  Just like that, he is struck down and all life gone from him.  It is horrifying.

I feel sorry for all the participants, especially Tony Stewart. I do not know what kind of therapy it will take to get him back to normal life again...probably may never happen.

The movie addressed the problem when Niki was seriously injured in an accident that James Hunt caused to happen as well.  But at least in the film, the two men are able to settle the situation in a way that kept them friends.

How does one deal with death?  I wonder how Stewart will handle this, and fans and friends as well.
 I just cannot fully appreciate this strange and eerie coincidence of finally seeing Rush and then to learn of this terrible spinout that resulted in death on the same night.  Unbelievable!

Jerry Ford popped up today.

I was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida when the Nixon/Ford change came about.  I really do not want to spend too much time on this piece of history which affects me too much. I used to say we changed presidents as quickly as I changed car license plates...It was true at that time.

But briefly, a quick review of the times past in which I paid little attention to the ongoing drama in the White House which made stars out of some nobodies very quickly.

We had always been told at Gladstone when I was an English/Journalism teacher there that we might be teaching a president of the United States. Little did we know that maybe we really were.

I was then  a member of the League of Women Voters who were introduced to me by a fellow faculty member, and through them, I learned some very interesting facts that were relayed to me.  I held membership in some group organized for better government.  But I was not politically involved in party politics, and frankly, did not give a hoot about politics at all.  I was too busy working, doing my job, to pay much attention to the problems of government.  We had gone through the Viet Nam War which took up a lot of interest but I just avoided politics as much as anyone could.  So I never followed the Watergate debacle except to only be slightly aware that it was a thorn in someone's side.

So I do not intend to relive those days at this time since they were pretty emotionally difficult for me then as well. I had my own problems to solve.  In 1970  I had flown back to Michigan to see my dad who had been diagnosed with cancer, and at that particular time, my brother's wife had just given birth to her firstborn son.  I have always had a love/hate relationship with my dad so that the thought that he might die did prompt me to return to see him while he was still alive.  He survived well enough after that, and it was then that I met my nephew for the first time as a newborn. He was an adorable baby and my brother and his wife were so happy and proud of him.

I returned then to California under great emotional stress, and then learned that one of my journalism students had gone beyond and over the top so that I had to stop the presses, kill a story, and get the newspaper back on the right track.

So I was stressed out, and I had just turned 31 years old then.  Too young to be overworked, under loved, and underpaid.  But so it goes.  That is the state of affairs in that time period.

Nixon was clearly enjoying his term in office despite all the cries to get us out of Viet Nam.  I paid him little attention.  My concerns were the classes that I taught, the groups I sponsored, and the new apartment I had moved into.

That is a topic for a separate entry too because this had begun with the thought that Nixon bowed out and Ford rushed in.  I was in Florida then, having left California behind, again a story for another entry.

But on the day that Ford became the new guy in the White House I was having my Cougar serviced in a garage.  I came home from the service station to find the sheriff from New Jersey grilling food on the outdoor barbecue grill. I went over to talk to him to ask if I could use it with him which he willingly let me do.  He was a very nice man from Asbury Park, NJ, whose wife was a deaf mute, and who was warm and friendly to me.  I remember that  so much as the day that Ford  became the successor to Richard Nixon.

Support your local sheriff!  I can't help but wonder at men who marry women who have physical handicaps.  But he was a sweetheart to me.  That was the year that Cannonade won the Kentucky Derby, the 100th running.    Strange, isn't it, the things we remember from 1974.  My second nephew was born only a few days later on the 21st.  A long time ago!  Weird how this story became one of remembering my nephew's births.

Now they both have their own families...

Both Richard Nixon and Jerry Ford are gone and nearly forgotten.

And while on the subject of presidents, I will add this onto this post for no particular reason except that I want to put it here. I learned that it was Douglas MacArthur who is the cause for the Purple Heart in modern times.  I learned a bit about its history the other day which I had not known.  I remember how Truman and MacArthur had a big battle.  Now I have to reconsider everything that I think or have thought about  both of them.

Life goes on.  Gee, if ever we knew the truth about any of these political characters we might be slower to draw judgement calls and conclusions about them.  It takes time to learn that we know only a little bit when so much more is to be known.