July 31, 2021

if you want to get down, down on the ground

Saturday morning;  ablutions done, prayers offered, coffee brewed, I’m ready for the day. As I plopped on the couch I realized I left my phone on the charger next to the bed. I am not up to riding the knee scooter to the stairs, backing up said stairs on my butt, hiking myself up from the floor on crutches, hobbling to the bedroom, creeping along in the dark as quiet as clunking metal crutches allow, to grab my phone. Then I would repeat this in reverse, all that effort expended just so I can get a dozen spam calls before noon. Maybe after my coffee. 

The Cubs completed their dismantling of the team yesterday. For once I’m not sure I can stomach the losses to come over the balance of the year. 

It looks like more lock downs and mask mandates are on the horizon. I reluctantly went along before. I figured it was pointless, but couldn’t hurt. This time I will not be so cooperative. 

It seems Big Box home improvement failed to code my claim correctly in June. They approved my leave, but didn’t put me in for short term disability. I don’t understand, since the first words out of my mouth when I finally got through the multitudes of phone trees was “I want to file for short term disability “. Now they text me I have to get more forms filled out from my doctor.* So Monday, my insurance company and I will have an ugly conversation. They can see I have a broken foot that had to be repaired surgically from the useless FLA leave they approved. In the meantime I haven’t been paid for a month. To say I’m pissed would be an understatement. I won’t win over the bureaucracy, but I will make a pain of myself in the interim. So far, I can’t even get a supervisor to call me back. 

I know I’ve started a new job, but they owe me three weeks of pay. 

I know you feel bad for me. If you loved me you would fry up some bacon and over easy eggs. That would mollify my angst. 

That’s what I thought. 

Oh well, have a great Saturday. I plan on it.


*see previous post on this bureaucratic nightmare.

July 29, 2021

I’m beyond sad


The Rickets family has learned what old man Wrigley and The Tribune figured out — they don’t need to put a quality team on the field to make money with the Chicago Cubs. It started when the team traded a top pitcher for teenagers this spring and continues with the fire sale this week. 

At least the Wrigley family never got rid of Ernie Banks. The Rickets have no such compassion for the fans as they dumped the modern Mr. Cub, Anthony Rizzo, for another pair of distant prospects. To rub salt in the wound, Chicago will pay his salary to the Yankees. WTF? 

Kris Bryant will likely be gone by tomorrow afternoon and the fans can look forward to a dismal balance of the season and  more of the lousy teams going forward we suffered prior to 2014. 

The problem is we are no longer proud of being lovable losers. Fans have gotten a taste of winning and have no interest in going back to supporting money grubbing billionaire owners who only care about the next buck. 


July 28, 2021

Chicken Dinner

As of 8:39 this morning I am a licensed insurance producer in Indiana. Well, to be accurate, I passed the State exam. Licensing will come soon, a mere formality. I’m happy, I guess. I proved that I can still study and learn after more than three and a half decades since ending my formal education. I will brag and crow that I consistently had the highest scores in my in class practice exams. Take that, you Millennial slackers. See what happens when education focuses on learning not self-esteem? You learn how to study and retain material.*

My happiness is tempered because I always swore I would never sell cars nor insurance. So it goes. Eating and a roof over my head trump pride. Next I get to start three weeks of sales training. I’ve been selling stuff since 1993. I will endeavor to forget what I know and toe the company line. We can always learn how to be better. See above.

On the bright side I get the remainder of the day off with pay.

Winner, winner.



* the three oldest people in the pre-licensing class consistently had the highest scores on every practice quiz and test. I find that interesting. None of us had an insurance background.

July 25, 2021

Friday I got travelin’ on my mind

Pundits all seem to think the Democratic hold on the Senate and possibly the House will come to an end in next year’s midterms. I’m not so sanguine. Money is a powerful incentive and the monthly kash  for kids handouts are going to buy a lot of votes. Lots and lots of votes. 

Consider, you are a middle class or lower family and your budget was just infused with $300, $600, $900 in cash. That’s a couple of car payments, or a good chunk of rent or your mortgage.. Now you can replace that clothes dryer that squeaks and squeals like a pig caught in an electric fence. You can take those kids to Disney. You can get that Apple Watch you have lusted over. 

So you find yourself sitting on your new couch bought by this kash for kids largess next fall when you see a political ad telling you that candidate D is going to make sure that money train keeps chugging and might even increase it. More importantly, the ad tells you that candidate R wants to take that Kash for Kids away.

Sam Sixpack doesn’t care about the weakening dollar or the National Debt or inflationary actions of the governments policies. He knows prices are going up and he needs that money. There is no cause and effect in play. It’s about money, stupid. And guess how he is going to vote? 

He might even think about having another kid. 

July 24, 2021

First you love me

Saturday is finally here, and I am happy for more than one reason. We are off today to hang with friends at their pool. I won’t be able to enjoy the cool waters, but I will luxuriate vicariously while sipping cold beers and smoking large stogies lovingly rolled between the thighs of nubile Carribean Queens. Shutup, I have my fantasy. Who wants to imagine they are poking a stick of tobacco leaves in their mouth rolled between the stained gnarled fingers of an old toothless crone?

My first week is in at big call center. Training galore. I can’t say I like it much. That’s why I get paid to do it. There are not too many jobs offering big salaries to sit around reading, watching movies, and tossing down popcorn, diet Dr Pepper and red licorice. It’s more money than Big Box Retail, and slightly less odious hours, so I’m better off.  There are still a few opportunities for outside sales on the burner. I can only hope. At this point since I can neither walk nor drive, a fast resolution is not in my best interest. 

We need to get a resident handyman. The yard needs mowed. Additional chicken wire needs strung to keep the rabbits out of the garden. The little bastards have eaten every tomato on the lower branches. A shelf collapsed in the wife’s closet yesterday. The builder used those cheap wire shelves and didn’t bother putting the support arms into studs. Of course it is the one up high. I’m not sure I can reach it to fix it without standing on a ladder. If so, that’s a task I’m not ready to attempt one-legged. I might manage if I can reach it standing on the floor.

I haven’t been up to survey the damage yet. Of course if she didn’t overload the shelving....I might as well argue with the tomato stealing rabbits.

I don’t want any of this to sound like complaining because I’m not. Stuff happens and you deal with it. Life is good. We all have problems. I just get to whine about mine here. See, life is good. 

Have a great Saturday.

July 21, 2021

Not so Tiny Tim-ing it

Good morning blog world. If you tuned in for riveting updates you are about to be disappointed. Things remain the same around here. I’m in low pain. Very tired by the end of the day. I’m learning to get around and to expend less energy doing so. 

The new gig is as boring as starting a new job usually is. Things should get more interesting starting today. 

There you are updated. 

I know you were worried. Hah!

July 19, 2021

I’ve got Tuesday on my mind

 I am up. I did my one-legged shower thing. Crawled back down the stairs. Sitting here already exhausted. I’m wearing Dockers and a polo. I’m off to work. Not at the big box, but at a slightly better crappy job, handling inbound calls at a big insurance giant. No not that one, the other one. I won’t be calling you, rest assured, inbound calls only..

It is not my old job for sure. It is still hourly, but at much higher rates than the other guys. It is a desk job, no more heavy lifting. I’m a little concerned about going in right after surgery but that was how it had to be. 

I have a knee scooter, which should help me navigate better than crutches. 

Unfortunately the whole get upstairs, shave, shower, get dressed thing leaves me so exhausted (not even 1 once of weight can go on my right foot - try it for about five minutes) that I’m ready to puke marathon runner style before my day even starts. 

So it goes. God has blessed me with a physically easier job at higher pay and I am thankful.

Have a great Monday.

July 17, 2021

wrapped like a Christmas package

 

I am home alive and well. The doc says the surgery was a success. Initially yesterday morning he told us after more study of my anatomy it may not be possible to screw the break back together. He might have to use a plate. He would know better when he got in there. He told my wife post op he was able to get the screw in and very tight after all, which was the far better option. 

So far my pain level has been low. No worse than before anyway — which was low. Perhaps there is something good to come out of diabetic neuropathy! Seriously, it has been manageable. I took my first narcotic at around midnight when I went to bed.

My mental anguish is different. I can put no weight whatsoever on the foot. And I have to keep it elevated as much as possible. I’m Long John Silvering it, navigating on crutches. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pee standing on one leg? Even getting up and down to girl pee is difficult. I don’t trust the towel holder to support my weight. I’m kind of pushing up on one crutch until I can reach the edge of the sink in the half bath. I suppose over the next couple of weeks I will learn to power drive my weight up and down using my left leg only.

Worse is having to be waited on by my wife. She rolled her eyes when I complained about having to just lie there on my back. She told me I wasn’t getting bed sores, no matter how much I insisted. I had been home an hour and a half at that point. She is a saint. I think her hearing is getting bad though. She asked me if I wanted anything and she apparently thought I said cookies instead of nookie. I am pretty content with the batch of oatmeal scotches she made. 

I am bummed that I can’t look at the wound. I have to leave it wrapped up until my follow up visit in two weeks. 

So far the biggest issue is that I absolutely cannot go to sleep on my back. I struggled the whole night. I remember it took weeks to be able to even moderately sleep on my back after my eye surgeries. Eventually exhaustion will win out. 

Again this whole minor episode gives me a chance to complain, a skill at which I am a master.

Have a great Saturday. I will be on the couch cruising through Mad Men and anything else I can find to combat my increasing boredom.

July 15, 2021

Bureaucracy Rules All

I got an email from my short term disability insurance provider this morning. The doctor still hasn’t submitted the forms for my claim. A call to the doctors office got me voice mail. I eventually got a real person who told me it takes a week to ten days to fill out the paperwork. I was very polite and nice, believe it or not. I asked how it can take so long to answer 8 questions on three pages? One was my name. One was the doctor’s name. One asked if I was pregnant. That leaves five questions.Seriously, how long can it take to cut and paste from my medical record? 

I pointed out that I am not getting paid from work and that bills and groceries etc. are depending on a timely effort on the part of her office. I got a yeah but...ten days. I told her I had a firm deadline for submission by early next week and I better not get denied because of the doctors office bureaucracy. 

I might as well have discussed it with the neighbor’s dog. 

I’m getting cut and screwed tomorrow morning. You will certainly not get a post tomorrow. Maybe Saturday. We shall see. I’ll likely be bored out of my mind sitting and resting. I might add I’m not sure how much longer I can refrain from dropping a political rant. Social programs are not “ infrastructure “. If you think so you are a moron.

I’m still not sure how I’m going to navigate the stairs. I suppose I’ll stay downstairs until I absolutely have to go up and stay up until I absolutely need to go back down. I hate the idea of my wife waiting on me, bringing food and drink, etc. I remember the days after my eye surgeries when I needed help to navigate even to the bathroom and it as awful. I am not a good patient. 

My daughter brought over a meal for us to have this weekend. She says she will bring over more tonight. That’s very kind. I have the best daughter ever. I told that wasn’t necessary. She whispered “you know Mom can’t cook”. 

Anyway, have a good weekend. I’ve made other plans.

July 14, 2021

partee!

Rain finally moved out by early evening and the weather app claimed the rest of the night would be moisture free. I threw the lawn chairs in the back of the Escape and the wife drove us uptown. We found a parking spot not too far away and I clumped along behind her as she found just the right place in front of the amphitheater stage. We were going to a rock and roll concert. 

The crowd was definitely on the older side. We fit right in the demographic. There were probably only a handful under forty. No wonder. The artist was pushing seventy. If you lived in central Indiana in the early and mid nineteen eighties, you likely saw Henry Lee Summer play at a concert, bar, or party. He played at Farm AID. He played as opener for some big acts. He was on MTV and Arsenio. Henry Lee had a couple of modest hits. As he quipped last night he was glad another one of his songs hit the top ten so he could always be remembered as more than a one hit wonder. He was a two hit wonder. 

I have long maintained that Henry Lee a Summer is perhaps the greatest entertainer I have seen live, possibly excepting Springsteen. Humor, energy, and musicianship are hallmarks of his shows and last night was no exception. I didn’t want it to end. 


This is the vintage Henry Lee

July 13, 2021

missing my old life

 Old stuff.

July 21, 2015

What I see

The sky is pale blue and splattered with dirty white clouds. The twin ribbons of the highway stretch westward into the distance, the long straight sections broken by occasional gentle curves. Dotless dashes mark the center line in an endless Morse O O O O. Beside the road, files and columns of straight tall green corn stocks tipped in gold stand sentinel beside fields of low,lush, humble soy beans.  The speakers blare music and talk and sports and music and baseball and music again.  A half finished bottle of water sits warm in the door. Occasional clumps of cattle stare at the horizon, chewing earnestly. Overpasses and underpasses recede in my rear view mirror as the odometer and dash clock mark the miles and minutes.  The tires hum. The soft leather of the seat becomes hard torture on my rump. I realize, had I headed south, I could be at the beach, instead of gazing at windswept uncompromising prairie. Exit and entrance ramps offer sincere untaken opportunities to explore, to change the destination, to extend an already interminable trip. I drive on, into the evening.

July 11, 2021

It is the chance you take

We have a dilemma. I could spend hours composing a post filled with facts, with opinion, with great entertainment value. 

I could continue to binge watch Madmen.


You lose.

Or I win. 

It’s all a matter of perspective.

July 10, 2021

I’ve got to get out of this place

The wife had a serious case of cabin fever all week so we motored down to the outlet mall yesterday. She shopped while I mostly sat in the car and listened to the baseball game. We were both content. She would have been happier with a fat bank account and unlimited credit cards. She made due with the limited funds available. She got me a good deal on a leftover winter pullover fleece at the Columbia store. Always thinking of me, my wife. It was a good day. She got out of the house. The Cubs got a win. All is good. 

According to the weather watchers we are slated for intermittent rain for the next week. I limped out to the little garden this morning in the post dawn pre-rain period to see if my new fence was stonewalling the rodents. I have multiple jalapeños growing, tomatoes are slowly turning a lighter shade of green. The cucumber is going wild and covered in blooms. It will soon swallow up everything. The granddaughter wanted a cucumber over my objections and we all know she gets what she wants. 

No lengthy music discussion here today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. 

The wife told me last night we are babysitting the girls this evening while my daughter and SIL go to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. I’m good with that. Seems like a great way to spend a Saturday.

July 9, 2021

Christmas in July

 

Here we are, not even a week out from Independence Day and the Dollar Store is stocking up on Christmas goods. 

Go ahead, click and embiggen. That was taken yesterday as I clumped around in the store after getting a much needed haircut. 

I didn’t get my hair trimmed at the Dollar Store. That sentence was not clear. I got my haircut next door then clumped over to the Dollar Store. 

Yes, I see you waving your arm in the front row. It would’ve been easier to just fix the offending sentence. But writing a whole new paragraph two whole new paragraphs in explanation provides needed content padding. Plus it gives me a chance to ramble on. I’m good at that. Do you think stuff happens by accident around here?

OK, often it does. I have admitted before most of my content is stream of consciousness writing. A good editor would fix the bad writing. A good writer wouldn’t craft crappy unclear sentences. Unfortunately, we don’t have the budget to hire either editors nor writers. Instead, unpaid interns have been providing most of the content material since 1997. 

And you thought it was just some dude with multiple personality disorder. Who is laughing now? That lightweight Eve only had three faces. I can summon at least four personalities in one post. 

Anyway, can you believe Christmas stuff is already hitting the shelves? 

July 8, 2021

Oatmeal Pie for Breakfast. I love You Little Debbie.

It has rained intermittently since last night. The grass and flowers need it. Right now it is just cloudy. 

Critters ate my one nearly-ripe tomato yesterday afternoon. The wife helped me put up a new higher chicken wire fence. I’m not sure how I’ll get over it to get my hopefully rodent-proof produce. I am sure I’ll adapt and overcome. 

I planned on inserting a lengthy diatribe on politics and global warming here. I’m just not up to it. A good book or silly movie sounds more interesting and a lot less work. Imagine what I’d write and go from there. 

If you didn’t care to read that stuff, you are welcome. If that’s why you come here - for my punditry - then sorry about that and more importantly, why? 

Can you believe my doctor wants $20 to fill out my short term disability paperwork? I get they need to make money. The doctor also collected $250 from the insurance company for my last ten minute appointment. He isn’t cracking open cans of generic Spam from the Dollar Store for supper. 

Things are boring around here. I’m off work. The girls are at home with their on-vacation mom. It is just me and the wife staring at each other. I can’t really go too many places. We don’t have the money if I could. So it goes.


July 7, 2021

Thank you.

 Five years ago, courageous individuals and their families made the decision to be organ donors. Because of those selfless acts I can see today.

I can never express my gratitude. But I can ask that we pay that gift forward. Please sign up to be an organ donor.

July 6, 2021

I hates that wabbit

 I’m starting to understand Elmer Fudd a bit better.


That is my first jalapeño from my garden. Notice the chewed off end. Yeah, the damn rabbits ate it. Along with all of the blooms that get me more wonderful jalapeño peppers. He also took a bite out of the one tomato that was turning red. 

There is a short fence around the garden. I sprayed the fence, plants, and dirt with ant-rodent spray. I can’t use the .410 in the city limits (besides, I lost in canoeing). I may have to borrow my friend’s high powered pellet gun. 

I didn’t mind Bugs Bunny eating the dandelions. Now he has developed a taste for the wife’s flowers and my garden. We have a problem. 

July 5, 2021

Sky rockets in sight

How is it possible to wake up sore when I did nothing yesterday? Worse yet,  I have the awful Mr. Roboto swirling in my head. What is up with that? 

We went to a pool party slash pitch-in cookout yesterday to celebrate Independence Day. I spent the day soaking in the sun and cooling in the water while sipping beer and smoking fine cigars. It was a good day. When we got home I sat on the front porch with my bride and watched the neighborhood sky light up with colorful flashes and the bangs and booms of fireworks. We could just glimpse the highest of the fireworks from Connor Prairie through the trees. The adjacent neighborhoods were sending up a constant stream of fireworks, so our view was great, the echoing explosions better. 

Not being a fearful Blue State, Hoosierdom trusts our rednecks to blow up stuff, and expects them to take responsibility when they fail at it, as hundreds do every year. If you are dumb enough to hold a lit firework mortar in your hand you are gonna lose some fingers. We don’t need some nanny government to protect us from ourselves. Our neighbors take full advantage of the lax fireworks laws. I am happy about it.

Today looks to be yet another gorgeous day here in God’s country. We have been invited back to the pool again today. It is great to have friends who have nice things. 

Be safe and have a great day, mon amis.

July 4, 2021

we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

 


In Congress...


IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

July 3, 2021

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away

I get sliced and screwed on the16th. The surgeon will insert a screw to pull the pieces of my broken foot together.  Summer is my time for hospitals. My first eye surgery was in July of 2016. I put the process of short term disability from work into motion yesterday. We shall see how it goes. In the meantime the doc wants me off my foot as much as possible to reduce the swelling before I go under the knife. No more walking 7-10 miles a day on hard concrete, boot or not. 


As we discussed last week, 1971 marked one of the all-time epic years in music making. The Rolling Stones released Sticky Fingers, undoubtedly one of the greatest album covers of all time. With a real working zipper, the artwork was conceived by Andy Warhol. The zipper damaged the vinyl album and was replaced by a picture on later releases. The album was also the first to feature the now-famous lips and tongue logo that epitomizes The Rolling Stones to this day.

Released in April of 1971, the album was the first on the band’s own label. Mick Taylor appeared as guitarist on his first studio album with the band, replacing the deceased Brian Jones. The songs range from the chart topping “Brown Sugar” and country-tinged “Wild Horses” to this tune, one of my favorite songs by The Rolling Stones:


Can you dig it? 

There is your music discussion you will skip right over for today. 

The neighborhood fireworks display is set for tonight. It will be a lot of fun. The whole thing is the effort of one neighbor, who loves fireworks and probably drops a few grand providing entertainment for  the whole cul-de-sac. He is even bringing in the Kona Ice truck again this year. It is great to talk to neighbors and be part of the community while celebrating all of the good things about America. Here in this part of fly-over nation, we choose not to dwell on what is wrong, but rather focus on the good while trying hard to make things better. 

We will be celebrating America, listening to good music, hanging with friends and family. Kind of just like this blog, I would venture. 

Have a good Saturday. 

July 2, 2021

Miss Elaineous Meanders

Perhaps it was the Mexican casserole. It was perhaps the salsa, it was on the spicy hot side of the spectrum. It could have been the fact that I ate a few too many chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. Likely it is a whole bundle of worries. Certainly a combination of all of those things. In any case, I have a terrible case of acid reflux way too early this morning. Bad enough to get and keep me up at four ayem. So it goes.

I can only laugh at the news earlier this week where the citizens of California are asked to reduce their energy use in the evenings; specifically NOT to plug in their electric cars. They don’t have enough electricity to power everything. Typical politicians mandating electric vehicles without planning how to power them. I don’t feel bad. You Californians voted for those Democrats. Far be it from me to shout I told you so. But I did and I will. Think my anonymous commenter will show to admit my righteousness? As the Duke says in my favorite western, “not hardly”*. 

I was going to dive into some music here, but I think I’ll nap a bit instead. I have to check into short term disability from work this morning, and spending time with HR and insurance folks will surely try my patience. I need to rest for the battle.

*guess

July 1, 2021

Mr Bubble bubbles you clean

Thunder rumbled and heavy rains fell in the overnight hours. Yep,, the same as the night before. Normally, I sleep well during such precipitation events, not so last night. Once awake, worries crept in and played on repeat as I dozed and woke the balance of the night. Once I was king of compartmentalism. Now I cannot shut off my brain. 

I grilled up a couple of very nice ribeye steaks for anniversary dinner last night. Some baked spuds and asparagus provided adequate sides. We even shared a rare bottle of wine. Then while I cleaned up the mess the wife did laundry. Not too romantic but reeking of true every day domestic bliss and division of labor. 

I once again have Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs stuck in my head. This seems to happen about twice a week. I can only guess that song plays in the background rotation at work and thus gets into my brain. I don’t care much for the tune, but my disdain doesn’t reach the heights of loathing I reserve for anything by Steve Miller or Afternoon Delight

Have a great day. I made other plans.

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