I don't know how many people show any interest on my scribblings, but I am grateful to all. Right now it is 2:55pm on the last day of 2022. I don't know where it went so fast, but it just flew by.
So here is 2023. Better get used to it.
To all my friends and acquaintances, I wish a Happy and Healthy New Year!
I hate when things are micromanaged. Stuff I learned and accepted should stay that way without any changes. Yes, as time goes by technology improves and things do change. But I am not a windmill that rotates with the wind. I go with my steady pace.
I was taught in school that in March, June, September and in December on the 21st of those months is when the seasons change. Those are Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. So, December 21 is the first day of Winter. That is how I learned it and that is how I pass it on to some believing youngster.
But in today's world this not so simple. I heard on the radio that to be precise, it is 4:47pm (in New York at least) when Winter officially begins. This is ridiculous. All day it was freezing wintry cold here. They mean to say that at 4:46pm it was still Fall?
How do they figure this out with such precision? I think it has something to do with the position of the sun. Which is funny because the sun here at 4:47pm is gone. It is already dark. But as I learned this is the shortest day of the year so from here on the days will get to be a minuscule longer every day. What a funny world we live in. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Comrade Z is in this country today. Met with the President and talks before Congress. He is on a "begging trip" looking for more money. I think it is $45 billion this time. That man has an appetite. I hate him for always wearing his military outfits. Reminds me of good old Fidel. He also wore his khakis, probably even to bed.
Fidel was also sympathetic to the US for a while until he turned and kicked Uncle Sam in the behind, as did the Afghans. I wonder how long it will be before Mr. Z turns and becomes anti American. Maybe when the banks run dry. But we never learn. Help the underdog but it will be too late to realize that under the underdog costume there is a hyena.
Kids are funny. They don't know what responsibility is. They will promise to sky in order to get what they want and once they get it, they slowly forget what was promised.
Case in point is our dog. Abigail was 16 years old when we got Robin. For years she was going on getting a dog. She practically swore on the bible that she will take care of him, feed him and walk him, just get a dog. To get a pet, any type of pet is a huge responsibility. It is a living thing that 100% depends on being care for and taken care of. Making promises and not keeping them is just not right.
The thing is now, that Robin is well taken care of, thanks to my wife. Abigail is relegated to advisory capacity and just occasional stand in. Her social life takes precedent over anything else and poor Robin has to learn to occasionally hold it in! Case in point is that the other day we took Robin to the vet for his annual checkup and shots.
He was found to be totally healthy and received his vaccinations (3). After the visit at home, he became very lethargic and quiet. No movement just laying down and sleeping. We naturally became very concerned about the little guy and even though the vet said this kind of side effect is not rare it did not ease our worries.
So, we decided that somebody will be home with him because that way he will not feel alone. But Abigail's social life always takes precedence over everything else. That left my wife and me. It was I at the end.
The unexpected health issues are passed. What happened was that I inadvertently picked up a stomach virus that made my night extremely uncomfortable. After it I was very tired and lethargic. Didn't eat or drink anything at all. But thanks to the good care of my wife, I am ok now. I think.
The flip side of this event, that my wife and Abigail caught this and for the weekend they also became ill. No explanation, just the symptoms. Good old Abi was worst off because she also developed a little fever. But thankfully by now the family is up and running as if nothing happened.
Robin is an Emotionally Support Dog and I think he had something to do with everybody getting better. He was here with us, didn't complain a bit.
I don't know where and how I picked up this virus but I guess it happened. I never had the covid, i survived the pandemic (so far) and now I got this virus. It is ridiculous. But the sad truth is that inadvertently I passed it on to my family which can happen in such close living environments.
I hope it is passed and we will be able to enjoy the holiday without any limitations.
Four years ago today, December 19, 2018, our lives changed. Nothing from here on went on as normal. There were daily unexpected events, our movements were curtailed, and our lives were just not the same.
What was the cause of this immense calamity? Robin came to our lives. I was against getting a dog. I had a cat for over 20 years, and I knew the issues, the heartaches that go with owning a pet. But anybody listens to good old me? No!
Abigail was going on for a long time that she wanted a dog, and my wife was not entirely against it. So, I lost out. Four years ago today normal took a new meaning in our house. Now we have a new family member and in reality, everything revolves around him. Our programs, our schedules are tailored to him.
The thing is, that I got used to him and I love the little guy. Cannot imagine our life without him. Sometimes he is a pain in the butt, but he makes up for it with his honesty and love towards us. He is extremely attached to us, mainly to my wife.
My wife was not feeling well over the weekend and stayed in bed. Robin sensed that something was not kosher and stayed with her all day and night. Didn't even go out to eat. He was so protective of her that growled even on me when I entered the bedroom. I told him hey, I live here but he didn't care. I took him out on his sanitary walks but after those back to the bedroom.
Now, four years down, hopefully many more to go!
Why do people guns at home? I can not understand the importance of having guns in a house. The way I see it is a very important political tool. Just as important as abortion is. Candidates are always asked about their feeling about gun ownership and their answers decide their political future.
The NRA and the gun lobby are two very strong forces in this country. I expressed my vies on this before but here it is again. When the Constitution was written it was necessary for people to be able to defend themselves against prevailing lawlessness, thus the right to own guns. But for God's sake, that was over two hundred years ago!
The American constitution was written by men of 18th century mindset. Some of them were slave owners who thought blacks should not have the same rights as white men. This constitution is not the Torah or the Koran. It is not a holy book. It can be changed or revised. And a revision could take out the right of gun ownership.
But unfortunately talking about changing or rewriting this document is a political suicide. England does not follow the Magna Carta. They created a more modern constitution, so why can we not do that? A new constitution might restrict gun ownership and hopefully would reduce crime. Every time there is a school shooting politicians wake up and raise the subject of gun control. And that is a joke.
While the NRA is active there will never be any kind of effective gun control in this country and senseless killings will continue.
I was watching the Croatia-Argentine World Cup football match today and thought about something. By the way, Argentina won 3:0 and they are going to the final with the winner of France-Marocco match. At the opening of these matches the teams line up and listen to their countries' national anthems.
Knowing that the majority of the players play for clubs in other locations than their own countries, some never ever played in their own countries I find it funny looking at them as they sing their anthems. They all think the louder they sing more patriotic they become. I am even surprised that they even know the words.
These national teams are a farce. Since the majority of the players come from other countries where they were playing for years, the success of the national teams does not represent the sport program of their native lands. It represents the individual players talent and love for this sport.
Hungary used to be a powerhouse in the field of football. It was back in the 50s. Since then, the progressively declined and now they are nowhere. They attempted to go for it but as it happened, they just couldn't qualify. Actually, they did not qualify since 1986. I don't know the reason, but they are just not that good, even though football is still the most popular sport there.
Maybe there is just not enough money to make it interesting to pursue it even though there are a few very good Hungarian players on the international circuit. But not as many as it should be, like the South Americans or Spanish have.
But that's ok, there is still baseball.
I really don't have anything against gays. Don't have much for them either. If this is a free country, then I have the freedom to choose whom I like and whom I don't like' Right? I certainly do not want to be pressed into liking someone or something because the think it so.
To watch a gay parade on tv just turns my stomach. Ok, so they like their own sex. Fine, but keep it to themselves. It is just not natural, but I guess we have to accept it. I go along with that but don't force it on me. This phenomenon is getting to be visible in many aspects of our lives.
To see same sex people walking on the streets holding hands, kissing is an everyday thing. But what upsets me is that popular tv shows inject such relationships to their shows even if they have nothing to do with the storylines.
There is this popular show called Hawai'i. It is a crime drame but two of the main female characters, agents are in a serious relationship with each other. The show never misses a chance to show them kissing or more. Hollywood sucking up to the LBTGQ community is similar to when they were sucking up to the black community. The black community complained that there were not enough black roles available. Now, they place token blacks in every show, needed or not. The same is with the LBTGQ people.
I don't know how young people feel about watching these shows and seeing men kissing men or women kissing women. I am not young, and I don't loke it!
There are things in this country that are typical American things. They are so successful that I am sure other countries are also adapting. These are not all good, they are mainly deal with how to mislead, cheat the public.
Start with robocalls. We get these calls from people wo barely speak Englis and trying to sell things they claim we need. Most of them are not even located within the US but thanks to the current technology that is no longer a necessity. Anytime they start their call with how are you or can you hear me well I hang up. I don't know if there are people who fall for their gimmicks. The sad thing is that these methods are being picked up by other countries and it spreads better than the covid did.
The other day I spent a long time on the phone with a bank whose credit card my wife obtained. This was as part of a promotion. It said you spend $1,000 within 90 days and you will get (I think) 40,000 miles for JetBlue. She fell for this and requested their card.
The time went by, money was spent but no miles appeared anywhere. That was the reason for my calls. It took forever and at the end they claimed there were no $1,000 spent so there were no 40,000 miles given. No matter how I argued, they did not give in. So here we are stuck with an unnecessary credit card and received no mileages. Some of these offers are as phony as a tree dollar bill.
This is the good American way!
The bad things about being old:
Thinking back, we realize that time went by very fast and what we accomplished is not even near of what we wanted to at the beginning Being well informed about funeral costs because the advertisements keep coming The aches and pains we wake up with every morning It is not very easy to get a 30 year mortgage Not very advisable to plan ahead into the future The word future is removed from our vocabulary I recently had a tooth pulled and the dentist never even asked me if I consider replacing it Not remembering everything that happened throughout our lives Not remembering what happened yesterday but remembering what happened 50 years ago Not accepting that our body is getting worn out and thinking we can still do things as we used to then finding out the hard way that we can not Realizing that everything you say is accepted with a curious smile from your family Being a tolerated member of a family without any positive contribution Living the rest of your life in warm up suits because there is no reason to dress up Cannot get life insurance any longer Don't remember what our favorite food is In conversations with other seniors we just compare our current ailments
The good things about being old:
In many instances getting seats on subways and buses (where they still respect older people) Getting senior citizen discounts (where they still apply) Doctors have ready diagnosis for every ailment it is old age Remembering only what we want to remember to Not remembering what happened yesterday but remembering what happened 50 years ago Believing that everything you say is accepted by the family as wisdom Thinking that you are a respected member of the family Living the rest of your life in warm up suits because there is no reason to dress up Now we have closes full of clothing we will never wear. Some people at the Salvation Army will be very happy Being well informed about funeral costs because the advertisements keep coming It is easy to converse with other oldies. Just compare our current ailments, the old ones we probably don't remember any longer
Somehow the bad is winning this list by 16: 11 against the good. It seems there is no great advantage in being old.
The ugly truth is that it is no great joy to get old.
I don't know if this typical old age thing, but here I am standing in the bathroom, no worries anywhere and think of something to do later on. It is not very important but something that I should take care of.
I come out of the bathroom, do a few things than suddenly I remember thinking of something else to do. Not earth shattering importance but something that came to my mind at that time. Now, for the life of me can not remember what it was. It was not connected to my cleanliness or anything bathroomy. Still have no idea what it was. This is scary. This thing leads to arguments because my wife will accuse me of not doing certain things that she asked me earlier to do.
I don't think that I am forgetful. I just have the tendency not to remember certain recent things. Old things I do remember (I think) but with older things there is nobody around to refute me, so my stories tend to exist as I say them (or imagine them).
I don't know if this is the beginning of amnesia/dementia, but it is certainly inconvenient. Maybe the cure is not to think in the bathroom!
It is becoming more and more obvious what dirty business politicking is. Now, that the elections are over, and the results are out it became official that the House of Representatives lost it republican majority and staring January 2024 the new Congress will have democratic majority. Unfortunately, the Senate stays the same as it was.
Nancy Pelosi as a major (sore) loser gave up her party leader position but stayed in Congress. She still does not want to be a stay home wife and grandmother. She is still holding on to some form of power.
Anyway, now that the republicans are taking over, they are preparing for the usual witch hunt that such changing of the guard brings forth. Standing committees change from democrat chairmen to republican chairmen. This means that most of the ongoing hearings, at least the ones that were anti-democrats will be discontinued and will take a different shape. I believe that idiotic January 6 commission will also be ending.
Its only purpose was under the Pelosi dictate to show Trump's involvement and leading up to impeachment. I believe instead of this they will investigate the DHS Secretary because the republicans want to impeach him for his mishandling the immigration crises.
Biden stays in office, but he is now stuck with a divided Congress. Now he can blame the republicans for whatever inefficiencies his administration produces. It will be interesting times. I can't wait to see it.
Right now, in Qatar the 2022 soccer World Cup is on. There are 32 teams in Qatar and they come from all parts of the world. Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world. The only place where it is struggling for survival is the US. Here baseball, (American) football and basketball rule. I can not understand.
This country is filled with immigrants, most of them came from soccer countries yet, soccer is struggling for air. This is to show that Americans are just not smart enough to understand and appreciate a good soccer game while the rest of the world is. Soccer can work the fans into a frenzy. Frenzy that is not present at any baseball game or football game.
Baseball fans sit through 4-5 hour games munching on hot dogs and drinking beer. There might be a small amount of excitement if there is a home run, but nothing compared to what goes on at a soccer game. Football consists of separate plays. Each one lasts maybe 15 seconds then everything stops. Hard to get excited at that either. So, we are back at soccer. This is a 45minute non-stop activity that one can not help but enjoy even if he is not a fan.
The rule of this World Cup tournament is that members of each national teams must be citizens of that particular country. This is very interesting because most of their local clubs are filled with foreign players. Now they can not be used because the participating countries must use their own nationalities. But within certain professional sport circles citizenships are easily obtainable. Just have to be an excellent athlete.
So now I am watching a lot of football (soccer). All nationalities many different countries. Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Portugal have the most famous football players in their teams and that makes it interesting to watch. But tournaments like this are filled with surprises regardless of their stars. Like Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia 2:1 and Japan beating Spain 2:1.
The lesser countries make tremendous efforts in trying to win. Like Iran. They have no international players, and I guess public opinion is against them. But they put on a good game and beat Wales 2:0. Can't help but admire those guys. Wander what would happen if they would play Israel.
In the 1956 Olympic games the Hungarian water polo team played against the Soviet team. They said and I did see videos of it that it was a blood bath. The animosity between the two teams reached historic heights. This was after the Soviets attacked Hungary after the October uprising.
So, Israel against Iran would probably be similar.
Interestingly, US played against Iran and there was tremendous hype about this game. End result was 1:0 in US' favor. I saw the game and critics noted that there was no unnecessary rough stuff, and the game was fairly played.
This world is full of surprises.
Once upon a time there were three young siblings. Abigail, the youngest, Cinderella the middle and Lancelot the eldest. They lived happily in their young years. Their mother worked very hard to keep them happy and provided them with whatever their hearts desired. She held two jobs and that necessitated for these youngsters to look after themselves. The older ones cherished and pampered their little sister Abigail.
They lived in a beautiful, sunny, tropical state with palm trees and ocean, surrounded with never ending sunshine. Winter and snow did not exist in that location. I wouldn't say they lived a charmed life, but it was nice. They grew very close to each other, formed a close bond.
But as life had it, this closeness got loosened. Mother had to move North in order to make a living and took Abigail with her. Cinderella and Lancelot stayed but not in the same household. Jumping ahead in time, Cinderella got married, and is expecting her first child. Lancelot moved to the other side of the state and lives there. Abigail lives with her mom and is no longer a teenager she is now a college student. But the contacts between the siblings remained. They closely monitor each other's lives.
And that is where the problem begins. They are very, very jealous of each other. Each one requires the exclusive attention of their mother. The mother as most mothers do is ready assist her children any way possible. But when she gives to one the other or others complain, why her/him and not me. I don't know if this is normal between siblings, but I find it disheartening.
But that was in another country at other times.
Abigail is the biggest mischief maker. She lives home and gets whatever she desires, yet she always brings up what help/assistance her siblings get. She is totally jealous of whatever her mother gives to the other two. But a mother is a mother, and she feels it is her responsibility to help her children whatever age they are.
We can not blame her for that. She just can not say no, when they ask. The problem is that the young people believe their mother has unlimited funds and that is why they keep asking. When one gets any form of assistance it is sure that the other two will bring it up why her/him and not me? I don't know if all siblings are so competitive for their parents' money since I was an only child. And maybe it was just as well because this way all the parental affection was centered on me.
Yesterday Nancy Pelosi announced that she would not be the democratic leader of the house. We already knew that she would not be the Speaker of the House because democrats lost their majority, but she could have stayed as the party leader. I guess she just a sore loser. If she can not have all she wants none. T
To fall from the top to the actual bottom must be traumatic, primarily to a person who was used to be the commander of all politics. She will have to give up all the perks her office made her be entitled to and also move from the luxurious Speaker's suite to an ordinary representative's office. I wonder if she will be doing her own packing and moving?
Why stay in congress? She is 82 years old, isn't time to go home and be with family? Or is it still necessary to hang on to her remnants of power? It is not easy on day to be on top of the political hierarchy and at the bottom the next. But she will have to get used to it.
Politics is a dirty game. It makes strange bedfellows. It is very similar to professional wrestling. They roar, they scream and slam each other left and right. But it is all rehearsed. Every move they make is carefully choreographed. And the same happens in the halls of congress. The only difference is that the wrestlers dress funny.
This Ukrainian fiasco is getting weirder by the minute. First it is not as interesting (in the media) as it was at the beginning. When it started every tv company ran to send its correspondent to the scene for live reporting. Everybody was very quick to point to Russia, the big bad wolf, and paint Zelensky as the poor suffering president.
But it is wearing out. Maybe it is still frontline news among the Ukrainian communities, but it is certainly not in the mainline media. Their government's constant asking, no demanding more and more weapons is getting on everybody's nerves. As I read on the internet even Biden told Mr. Z at one of his "demanding" phone calls that maybe he should show some gratitude for all the help he was getting.
Since 2021 US committed to Ukraine $18.2 billion in help. For what? That money could have gone far at home in today's economy. We also have people who could use such assistance instead of giving it to a foreign, antisemitic country. The fallout of this are the refugees. Ukrainian refugees in the neighboring countries are fast wearing out their welcomes. Initial sympathy is now turning into anger because of their demanding attitude.
They do not graciously accept help given to them. They criticize it and demand better and more. That is not the way refugees should behave. I know, I was one, too.
Earlier I already expressed my feelings towards the Ukrainian people and even though Mr. Z is Jewish he is foremost Ukrainian. Naturally he will deny any involvement about the "misdirected" missile that landed in Poland and also the one that flew over Hungary and landed in (I think) Serbia. Plausible deniability is the backbone of every politician, and Mr. Z is not different. I do believe the Ukrainians are capable of such acts in order to whip up international sympathy. If the world is stupid enough to believe this, fine. Then bear the consequences.
One more thing, it is getting boring to see him in his designer t-shirts every day. Reminds me of Fidel Castro who wore his jungle uniform long after he won.
Last night (Tuesday) Donald Trump announced that he would seek the presidency in 2024. I guess he did this on his own because I am sure that his political advisers advised him against it. But he wants the job so badly that he is willing to do it on his own. He wants another term so he can prove how bad Biden was and how bad the democrats were.
Tuesday's midterm election was a shock to the republicans. Even the democratic media forecasted republican victories but unfortunately that did not happen. Years ago a politician said that polls mean nothing, what the voters do on Election Day has value (or something like that). Republicans lost bigtime. The Senate remained in the hands of the democrats and as of now the House is still undecided (even though it looks like it well be republican).
If I have ever seen a crooked election this was one. Since the people spoke, nothing will change. Biden's economic policy will remain, and $6.00 gas is on the horizon. If he stays on, I wonder that four years will be enough for a republican. one term president to fix everything.
I said it before that my uncle told me he never stuck to one party at voting time. He voted for the opposition because he believed change was good. I agree with his thinking.
My bro is in Hungary. I think by the time this is published he is on his way home. A week goes very fast when one has a good time. To say that I envy him is the least. I wish I could have gone also. He went with family members who have not been there a long time. My friend was there with me in 2014 the last time.
He sent me a few photographs about what he ate, and my response was that he knows how to hurt a guy. The pastries and the food looked just scrumptious. Budapest is not for the diet conscious, that is for sure. And neither is for the low sugar watchers. When he and I went, every day we had two good meals. Lunch and dinner. Plus, some breakfast and the obligatory stops at pastry shops. Naver gained a pound because we just walked and walked.
Pastry shops are another story. Budapest has more pastry shops that Starbucks in New York. And Starbuck can be found here on every corner. There are famous pastry shops and there are the small neighborhood ones. The difference is mainly in the prices. As far as I am concerned the small shops are just as good as the named ones. These are one by individual pastry makers who take pride in their work. Their shops survive in the neighborhoods because of the good products, the ambiance and prices. They might have fewer selections but what they have is worth trying it.
Unfortunately, New York has no such establishments. There are some places where they sell French pastry but in my opinion that does not come near the good Hungarian product. As far as I know, there is only one Hungarian pastry shop in New York, but their products are less than mediocre. Beggars can not be choosers, so we just have to accept it, but it is a shame.
Anyway, I hope he had a great time, and can't wait to hear his stories.
Robin is such a cute, lovable little dog. November 11 was his birthday. The little guy was six years old on that day. In human years that is 40 years old. He doesn't look and act as a 40-year-old. He acts more like a playful little puppy.
He is very funny. On the street he growls at people and people are afraid because nobody knows his intentions, bite or don't bite. We don't know it either. All I know that several times when I tried to do something in spite of his growling, he always bit me. But minutes later he came over and licked my hand.
The other day a friend came over to us, somebody he never met before. Right off the start he bit his leg. Not hard because he had jeans on but still, he bit. But true to his form a few minutes later he was all over him, waiting to be petted. When our friend sat down, he immediately jumped up and sat on his lap. Now, how can we figure out this complicated personality.
He is extremely close to my wife. He is a real mama's boy. Follows her throughout the apartment and whenever she goes out the door, he gets very sad. But when she returns, he is overwhelmed. It is very funny to see his happy dances, jumps and other exhibits that he creates. I usually say it is worth going out just so we can come back again and see him happy.
I originally did not want a dog. I had a cat for over 20 years, and it was very hard when I lost him and did not want to go through that again. But like everything else, nobody listens to me in this house, so we got Robin. Now, I am glad he is here. I got very used to him, he is part of the family. Actually, everything revolves around him. He is our four legged baby.
Nobody in this world can tell me, that the election results of November 8, 2022, are not being massaged to the satisfaction of some higher power. Almost a week past by and still no results in this land of "honesty" and "transparency".
Yes, it is transparent that whatever results they will come up with is as far from honest as we are from Mars. It boggles my mind that two years after another mismanaged election they had the balls to do it again. Is this the norm, now? We will have to wait and see how the powers want the results to look?
And then the whatever administration has the gall to criticize countries where the elections are not straight. We are slowly becoming a dictatorship where democracy is slowly disappearing, elections are fixed, and we are told how to think and what to think.
If the projected results realize it will prove that the American people are stupid. High prices, inflation, danger of war, non-existent border control. This is a short list of what we are having. If this is ok, and this is what they want then why not get back to the $6.00 per gallon gasoline price or higher? They are satisfied with the current norm of life then don't change anything.
With this current leadership America is becoming, no it became the laughingstock of the world. Nobody is taking us seriously anymore. Now we are really the ugly Americans.
Hungarians are basically a very dirty bunch. They don't go to the neighborhood for a little hate. They hate everybody and that hate starts within the family. When antisemitism came into existence Hungarians did not have to go to school to learn it. They had it in their blood. During the communist regime, between 1945 and 1956 most antisemitism was suppressed. But it was always there.
During the 1956 revolution it was just a question of time when it will burst out. I personally did not hear any such negative comment, but my dearest friend witnessed such. When that revolution started people started to leave the country in droves. My bro and I thought about it, but I think we were just too lazy to do it. Then one day in January 1957 my friend came to me very upset and said we must leave. Somewhere he overheard very strong antisemitic outbursts and that was enough for him to make up his mind.
My friend and I are the same age, we both lived through the Holocaust. Unfortunately, he lost both his parents, so I never blamed him for feeling like that. Who in this world want to relive something like that? So that was the primary reason for our departure.
Now antisemitism is raising its ugly head here. Many synagogues received various messages that made police protection necessary both in New York and in New Jersey. Something like this is very disheartening even though there is nothing to be afraid of. But still, it seems there is always danger lurking out there. I am 100% convinced that a holocaust will never happen, at least not in our lifetime but still...
What causes this feeling of hate? It has been around for eternity but still there is no logical explanation for it. The only explanation I can find is envy. People are envious of the Jews because they survive, they succeed regardless of the hardship life throws front of them.
Maybe really, they (we) are the chosen people.
I love when so called celebrities come out with their support of political candidates. Who do they think they are? Is there anybody in this country stupid enough to vote for a candidate just because Bozo the Clown supports hum? I guess the answer is, yes.
Kim Kardashian supported an LA mayoral candidate. Who cares! Who is Kim Kardashian that her support should count and who are the retards who even follow the advice of such a person. Mattress Kim should just stick to what she knows best and that is how to flaunt her questionable figure and be horizontal. Is she now a political adviser? This just proves that in this country anybody can be whatever he or she wants to be.
They keep saying that people should make up their own mind, yet the media, the parties, the politicians keep bombarding us with advice. The only thing where our minds come into the picture is to decide whose advice to follow. We already know, thanks to the opposition whom not to vote for, but who are we going to vote for. That is the question.
It is now two days after election day, and they have still no results. Their claim is that they are counting the votes. A blind man could have counted them faster. Nobody can tell me that this not about falsifying the results!
Today is the day after the elections. Chaos is an understatement for what is happening nationwise. In a country where voting is done mainly through electronic means results are not that easily collected.
Or they are collected but not just released! Maybe the results are being massaged to the satisfactions of the powers up there. The United States is great and very quick to criticize other countries for their less than fair election methods and corruption, but they do not want to admit that they are not holier than thou either.
Two years ago, at the presidential election the results were finagled for the satisfaction of the republicans. At this they are again being "adjusted" to a so far unnamed party. How come that almost 24 hours after the polls closed, they still don't know the results? In a third world, jungle country by this time they already have results but in this land of fair practice the results are still not known. Or are they?
All last night we were watching the results and found it interesting that the results kept coming in pretty quickly until they reached a point when the final control of Congress was to be show. At that point all stopped. Come on! Don't try to make me believe that this stoppage not the result of some maneuvering.
Free elections we do have. We are free to go to the polling place and cast our votes. But results are a different thing. Maybe this is the new American way!
Today is the big day. Today is the day when we decide which gang we will pay protection money to. Because no matter who wins it will cost us, the taxpayers money is the day when the American people will not make an intelligent decision. Their decisions are based on sensory preception.
Who is the loudest, who is the better looking, who has the right color and who will give me more. But list can go on and on to list what effects the outcome of an election. Being the most qualified has absolutely no role whatsoever.
There are hard core party members, democrats and republicans who will always vote the party line even if Bozo the Clown would run for president. Then there are the ones who would look at qualifications. My uncle used to tell me that at each election he voted for the opposing party's candidate because he believed that change was good. This last is not a bad way of thinking.
I am sure there are candidates who are shaking in their boots at the prospect of losing and at the prospect of losing their prestigious positions. I'm sure it was nice to walk around and pull rank by saying I am a member of congress. But as the saying goes "the higher they are the harder they fall"!
At the time of this writing, morning hours, we didn't vote, yet. We plan to go later.
Halmark is now showing Christmas movies on its network. It is early November, Christmas is not even near, and they are showing X-mas movies. That can be just bearable well not 24 hours but what they show is so unnatural that I can just laugh.
Beside the eventual love between the two main characters the subject mostly revolves around Christmas cookies. They make believe that the world really cares about Christmas cookies. They also do nothing else but grin and smile throughout these two hour films. I also find it interesting that the characters go outside in falling snow in open neck shirts, open coats like it were June. Probably it was when they filmed it and then added the background.
Another think is the interior decorations every home has. Who in the world decorates their home is such a kitschy way? They are not even half nice. I can not imagine people believe in these stories or imitate the surroundings.
Going on to the burgeoning love stories, they are very childish. The way the characters act make it look like this is a Christian channel and not a regular broadcaster. Beside one kiss per show there is not much going on between these (retarded) adults. Is this believable? Yet, my wife likes them.
This coming Sunday is the New York City Marathon. That is a big event for the City and for many people. Supposedly there will be 50,000 people running, including the elites and handicapped runners. As far as I am concerned this is a joke.
Many people show up just so they could clown their way through the 26 mile route. Some are serious amateur runners but there are the pros, mainly from Africa for whom this is their way of life. The prize monies and the promotions are how they make their livings. And if you can run 26 miles fast you can outrun any lion or tiger.
What I find very discouraging that the main sponsor of this race is an Indian company, Tata Consulting. What is the matter with the American companies that they have to bring in a foreign sponsor?
Because of this race Manhattan will be mostly closed to cars. I used to go in and I remember what a disaster that used to be. Now, I will watch it on the telly and won't even get tired. The good thing for the runners that they forecast good weather, little warmer but who cares.
At first I thought I would run but then decided against it when I tried to run on city block.
Television is full of political ads. This is the season and it will go on until election day. I find them all disgusting. I know that all elected politicians cheat and lie and they are the scum of the earth but listening to their on-air ads only enforces my opinion about them.
They promise the stars, they use their platforms to get the endorsements but once they are in all bets are off. They promise to vote for this and that, all good for the common people, the lower class (in a classless society). But once they got their seats at the helm all promises disappear because of various instruction from up above and just because it is not feasible (for them).
So, here we are the poor and defenseless oh and dumb public who need guidance. The papers, the tv, the ads all tell us whom to vote for. Making our own decisions never come into the picture. Very sad!
All tv ads deal with the opponent. They all say the opponent is a monster, he or she is against everything we would want. They never mention what good each of the candidate did and why should he or she should be elected. They just say why not to vote for the other person.
Is this what they teach in political science or communication? Don't mention your good deeds, mention the other guy's bad deed.
Good country, America.
This coming Saturday/Sunday we are turning back the clock. Actually, it happens around 2 something in the morning. I don't understand the importance of 2am. Will anybody be up, watching the clock and when it reaches that 2am magic number turns the clock back?
I don't even understand the importance of time change. It just means that early morning will have some light and afternoons for a very short time will have more daylight. Most of the world, at least Europe moved the clock back last weekend. But here we have to be different. America always has to be different. For one week all international time schedules are mixed up because of the time differences.
Both the European Union and this country have been talking about not to do this in the future. I think, but I might be wrong that this year is the last when time changes will take place. Interestingly, Arizona and Hawaii do not observe these time rules. I don't understand that the federal government has no authority to enforce this. What authority do they have if they can not even regulate the times?
I will only change our clocks on Sunday because this way when we wake up in the morning and look at the clock it will be one hour behind. One more hour to sleep. Not that Sunday there is any reason to get up early but still.
As I wrote about him before Robin is the third member of our family.
In spite of his size things here revolve around him. Our daily schedule is governed by when his next walk is due. He is used to go out every 3-5 hours. But thankfully he is able to hold it much longer. My wife takes him out for a short pee trip around 6 in the morning. Then 11:30, 4pm, 7p and around midnight. Then then the day is done.
He does get occasional car trips when we go somewhere, and we just don't want to leave him home. At those time I usually stay with him in the car. He is so spoiled that he hates to be left home alone. That is why we usually take him with us.
The picture shows Robin in his "nightshirt". He wears it indoors in the winter when it gets cooler in the apartment. He doesn't object, I think he likes it. He also likes to be photographed. He is totally aware when we take pictures of him, like in this picture.
As I said earlier his last walk is around midnight. It is interesting how many people are as crazy as we are. We always meet other dog owners who are walking their dogs at that hour. It is easy for him to be that late. Sleeps most of his waking hours away. I wish I could do that.
New York City is wall to wall cars. Street parking is a nightmare. Many programs are avoided simply because there are just not enough parking spaces. And if one wants to use pay garages, their prices are astronomical. One of the most desirable things for a car owner in this city is a garage space or an assigned parking spot in a lot. That is what we have, and we feel pretty lucky about it.
Our building is so old that garage was not a requirement at the time of its construction. I don't think it goes back to the horse and buggy days, but it is not much younger. Anyway, the landlord is required to do exterior repairs which include pointing and replacing broken windowsills, bricks etc. This work has been ongoing since May of this year and so far, they only finished the front and two sides. We are a corner building.
Today they started work on the back of the building. Why is this important? Because the back is where the parking lot is and that is where we park our car. As of today, and for the unseeable future we are not allowed to park our cars in the lot. So, this morning we moved it and as millions of other drivers started to hunt for parking spaces. At 7 in the morning parking spots were not in abundance. But we prevailed and found a spot. Just as well because by 10 am the workers were already working where we "used to" park. Now, we are looking ahead to a pain in the ass few months as far as parking.
What makes our situation a little easier is that almost a year ago, thanks to my doctor I got a city permit that permits me to park anywhere within New York City and without paying for it. This is a handicapped parking permit and I got it because of my spinal surgery and because I walk with a cane.
All I can say again: good country America!
Today is October 31, and that is a kind of turning point in my life. Not because it is Halloween but because 65 years ago today, I arrived in this land of milk and honey. 65 years ago today. I just can't believe how fast the time went by. Maybe because I had such a good time? I don't think so.
Time is just flying by. It only crawls when we are suffering but at the end it just goes. And that is what it did with my 65 years. This 65 year was like a galaxial black hole. I sucked in all the events, all the people I used to know, all my history. What remained is the present and a questionable future.
But aside of this 65 years ago today I landed at what was Idlewild Airport, now JFK. Up to that moment I had no care in the world. For nine months I was in a refugee camp where every decision was made for me, I got three square meals a day and no worries. On this day it all changed and 'till today it did not stop.
Now I worry, I have issues, problems (big and small) but life goes on. It is ok. This is what life supposed to be. And this what we supposed to do as we grow up and get older: worry.
In hindsight, I am glad that I landed here on that particular day and started my new life. All in all, it didn't turn out to bad.
To me Halloween has only one meaning. As I remarked every year, I landed in New York on Halloween in 1957. I arrived at JFK Airport that was named Idlewild in those days. I had no clue what Halloween was, actually I didn't even know what day of the week it was because our trip took so long.
The only thing I noticed that little kids were dressed funny, and I thought American kids are really weird. Now, I know better, they are weird.
My daughter, Abigail on the other hand is obsessed with Halloween. For her this is a major event of the year. She and her boyfriend went to Salem, Mass because she read that a few hundred years ago that was where they burnt witches. The place became a tourist attraction, and this was what they had to see.
Now tell me, are these kids normal or what? They spend their hard erned money to see places where witches were burnt in the 1600s. I wish I had money when I was at their age to spend on idiotic things like this. But I had to work, study and pay rent all at the same time.
The only thing I can say, country America!
They always said that the Covid thing caused all kinds of problems, confusions in our daily life. Every official place blamed the Covid for their inefficiency. They claimed lack of manpower hindered their operations.
The thing is that now Covid is gone, people should be back at work, but the inefficiency stayed. People should be back at work! But not all people are back. For some weird reason people just don't want to work. Great number of places are looking for employees to hire but they are not succeeding. I don't understand that how come people don't need money to live on? Or everybody is so cash rich that there is no need to work?
An interesting side effect of the Covid thing. Our building super was kind of complaining that there is too much garbage collecting in our building. His explanation was that in this building many people work from home and the result of that is increased domestic garbage. He said that before the pandemic there was not this much garbage to collect.
This is not a fascinating story just interesting.
Lawyers are like used car dealers. They cheat and lie and represent falsehood. Their only aim is to take the money of the unsuspecting customer. It is not a coincident that most politicians have law degrees. They know how to double talk, how to mislead the public. The public's interest is the furthest thing in their mind. The aim is to assure a bright and financially rewarding future for the time their glory days end.
Why am I lamenting this? Because whenever we turn on the tv we are bombarded with political campaign ads. The incumbents who never cared for the public come on showing how interested they are about our well beings and how much good they did during their terms. While the challengers are showing how bad the incumbents were and how good they would be. These people go on and promise everything well knowing that they will not deliver but hoping to garner the votes.
I love to watch the campaign appearances. Candidates meet the people, kiss babies and promise the sky. The funny thing is that they always want to look like they are one of us and the men wear open necked shirts, no ties or plaid shirts. This costume will not make them seem everyday Joes.
They don't realize that with all these campaigns they are degrading the voters by indicating they assume we are all stupid and need guidance. They believe that people are like sheep, they have to be led to the water.
Don't tell me who to vote for. I will make up my mind when the time is here. And that time is when I will be in the voting booth.
God bless my wife. I love every ounce of her, but at times she drives me up the wall. We live in a fairly large apartment with more rooms that we actually need. And that is what causes my anxiety. At times she looks around and decides that things should be changed. What she sees is always a mystery because to me things are good as they are.
Before I met her, I lived in a smaller apartment from 1963 until 2025. That is about 62 years. During that time the only move we made was to move chair maybe from here to there. Otherwise, everything was good the way we originally set them up. But not here in this home. It seems to me that we have the setups of the seasons.
As the seasons change so do our furniture layout. We do have a spare room that served as a guest room and an office alternating. We also have a fairly large office desk and a homogenous long sofa. These two items are changing locations when the rearrangements take place. Not easy to move these. The building super usually helps but this week he was not available, and this was the time when my wife decided to change the layout.
I had to gather up all my muscles and help her out. It was very strenuous thing mainly because I realized that I was not as strong as I used to be. My eyes are strong, my mouth is strong, and my mind is strong. But none of these are helpful when one needs sheer strength. So, I struggled and eventually we succeeded. All furniture found their correct (for now) locations.
I just wonder when the next relocations will happen. When will she decide that maybe things were better the way they used to be.
The other day we went to the supermarket, and I saw a sign that kind of upset me. The sign said that there is an egg shortage and because of that the price of egg is going up.
There is no chicken shortage so why is there an egg shortage? Are the hens striking and not laying eggs? That would be self defeating since laying eggs is their life insurance policy. The minute they stop that activity they become fryers.
This also reminds me that after the war there was a general food shortage in my country and that necessitated rationings. That was achieved by families getting ration coupons and were able to buy only what was on those coupons. I think a family of three (ours) got maybe three eggs a week, subject to availability.
That was when connections came to the picture. If one had a friend who had a friend than he was able to get extra stuff. Otherwise, we just had to live on what was on the ration coupons. Are we heading in that direction? This might sound an extreme solution but finding critical shortages it is not inconceivable.
I have to check my map if this is still the land of milk and honey? I think the milk went sour and the honey is rancid.
Being at this age (80+) is nothing less than weird, and unusual. I know that I already elaborated this subject but I'm sorry, and since I am in this situation it is an everyday event.
There are pains and discomforts associated with the daily life. Things that I used to be able to do are becoming more and more difficult. A very peculiar occurrence is that while I am sitting down, I feel perfectly fine, I feel as good as I felt maybe 30 years ago. I am imagining things that I might be able to do at those moments. But as soon as I stand up reality kicks me in the behind.
To start walking after a long sitting spell I feel like a windup toy. I have trouble starting to move. As I already said it before, I have no trouble bending down, I have difficulty straightening up. I am like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. Need oiling.
I know that people of my age all have a common subject, their health. When they meet all they talk about where it hurts and what did the doctor say. To avoid this depressing situation, I do not congregate with old people. With the exception of a few very dear and close friends I do not associate with oldsters. Only younger people.
It is easy to associate with the younger ones. I am familiar with all their problems, and I also have all the answers. And I know that they don't listen to me and it is not even tiring to be with them because I don't have to talk much. Just smile and make believe that I do care.
We are living in an absolutely crazy world, where it seems the crazies rule. We are having a wild west/zombie world atmosphere. Crazy and senseless killings fill the daily newscasts. People are afraid to go out on the streets or in New York to take the subways.
Attacks on innocent individuals are frequent occurrences and also innocent victims get hurt by senseless shootings just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now what kind of a life this is?
New York City has a new and black mayor. Ever since he took office crime went drastically up. Manhattan has a black district attorney who downplays criminal charges to offenders and eventually releases them. New York State has a black attorney general who is obsessed with attacking Trump in person, his family and his business instead of fighting crime. Oh yes, and New York City has a new police commissioner who is female and black. But this doesn't stop at the local level. We have an inefficient president whose vice president is a black female.
Does this reflect some kind of a pattern? Is this the future we are looking into? And all these office holders played their race cards to win at their elections. Very sad!
A person should not win because of their race or creed but because of being the best for the job. Our mayor never misses an opportunity to mention that he is black. We know, we see it, it does not need constant mentioning! This just emphasizes that politics rule.
Promise everything, get the votes then talk one's way out from delivering. This is what politics is today.
Life is getting more and more complicated as the time goes by. Do you all remember when it was so simple to get a cup of coffee from any diner, luncheonette or coffee shop? The only question the server usually asked if you wanted it black or with milk? Well, those days are gone.
Now to get a simple cup of coffee you have myriad choices. Cappuccino, latte, flavored, with or without whip cream, type of milk from goat to any four-legged animal and probably even more choices. Many times, I felt embarrassed to go into Starbuck and just ask for a cup of regular (overpriced) coffee. They always gave me the hey, you slob what are you doing here, you don't belong to our elite club look.
The same goes with teas. Whenever we went to a restaurant and asked for te they used to bring the hot water and a Lipton tea bag. Now there are questions, what kind do you desire then they bring a box with about two dozen different types of teas in it.
Years ago, we left home, went to work, got home in the evening and then discussed the day's events. Now, everybody needs three hands. The third one is to hold that frigging cell phone without which people seem to be lost. There is constant, non-stop communication going on between people. Abigail feels that if she does not instantly answer her messages, she will miss out huge social happenings. Without any attention to other people's current status, it is always expected to immediately respond to any communication regardless how mundane the subject might be. In older workplaces a telephone was not always available, yet we all survived. How? There used to be public phones everywhere
The same goes for water. We used to leave home, got to wherever we were going to and if it was absolutely necessary drank a glass of water. Now everybody drags a bottle of water with them and every few minutes take a sip. What causes this humongous thirst? Or is this just a fashion statement?
This world is getting crazier and crazier by the minute!
Thank God I feel fairly good. But there is a dark cloud over me, and I am sure over all my friends of this same age. I am 85 1/2 years old. Aside from a few discomforting things I feel ok. Some of my friends are even in better shape. I guess we just don't want to give in to ageing. But how long will this last?
Lately I read and hear too many people passing away who are between the ages of 80 and 90. This is very scary, to say the least. We are at a very dangerous age. There is only a limited future and that makes planning almost impossible for the lack of a distant future.
Can't help but think how and where will it happen when the time comes? This is pretty morbid way of thinking, but it is reality. As the saying goes one can not escape death and taxes.
I would love to try it, though, both of it.
I used to have an older friend whose favorite saying was whenever he came from the doctor that everything was ok, nothing was wrong I am in a perfect condition, I would probably be hit by a truck. Unfortunately, he did become sick and passed away. What is the meaning of this? We really can not tell what is ahead of us. And that is what terrifying. We have to live our life one day at a time and try to enjoy it as much as possible.
There are things we got accustomed to, they are with us like forever and suddenly they are not. Once they are not with us, occasionally we miss them other times we don't even know we had them.
Case in point, for at least 80 years I had my teeth in my mouth. Most of these teeth are my own with a few exceptions. Recently one of them started to hurt. I didn't pay much attention, figuring I can live with a little pain. Unfortunately, my tooth had different ideas. It started to hurt more and more so that I was living on painkillers.
At that point I decided to go and see my dentist. My dentist is a very lovely Russian lady who has offices her nearby and at another location outside of the City. Unfortunately, on the day I needed the assistance her local office was closed but she said I should go to her other office.
It is not professional for a dentist to refuse a patient with a killing toothache. So, we drove out to wherever she was at. I had to wait about two hours for her to see me because of other patients but eventually she did see me. After taking a few x-rays she determined that not one, but two teeth need to be pulled. I said go ahead.
After 25 minutes of sitting in the dentist chair my two teeth were unceremoniously pulled. After 80 years of excellent service, living in a nice, warm and comfortable environment they were suddenly homeless. Looking at them on the dentist's table I was a little sad. But actually, they got what they deserved, they hurt me. Me, their one and only landlord who provided them with a nice home in all these years. With all the injections I was totally numb and felt nothing which made the entire process almost painless.
Since they are the last two teeth in the row, at my age replacing them is not an issue anymore. The lack of them will have no effect on my exterior aesthetics.
It is very easy to decide to take a hiatus from one's self observed obligations. But what is difficult is deciding to end it and go back to some sort of regularity.
But "duty" calls and I will return to my writing. I chose to do it and darn it, I will!
The reason of my hiatus was that my wife had some health issues and I wanted to devote all my time and energy to being there and be available to give her as much moral and physical support as I am able to. Thank God, and the good doctors she is all right, it all turned out well.
She had post op visits and the doctors were satisfied with the progress of her healing. Now, we just have to be patient and go through the complete healing process. A few more weeks and all are done. She has to be very careful because stitches can tear if she exerts herself. For that I am here to make sure there are no heavy liftings.
Doctors very easily say it needs 10-12 weeks for complete healing. They don't take into account the daily discomfort one needs to deal with. I know, some things just can not be rushed so we just have to be patient.
There is a health issue in my house. It is nothing critical, so don't worry. But it needs more of my time than usual. So, for a while I have to stop writing because I will not have the luxury to sit down and write.
Look back because occasionally I might just say something.
I admit it as a man that I forgot to write.
Yesterday we had a very busy day and by the time we got home I was tired and happy to sit down and do nothing. There are days and weeks when we have nothing important to do except maybe one special thing a day. Yesterday it was different. Everything came together and it was one of the busiest days w had in a long time.
My apologies!
I have been watching a lot of tv lately, mainly some kind of reality shows. Actually, the reality shows that are dealing with house remodeling. Not that I want to get into something like that, it is just that I like the way they play out.
Also, there are a lot of different people get on these shows who are looking for new homes or just want their existing homes remodeled. These people come in all sizes, genders and colors and the common thread is that they all have money. At least most of them.
Many are same sex couples. Man with man or woman with her partner, another woman. Ok. I do believe if God wanted this, He would have created Adam and Adam. But this is a moot point, no reason to argue about it. I accept it for whatever it is worth, but don't stick it into my face!
Interestingly, with man with man couples it is noticeable which of the two is the husband and who is the wife. But most of them try to do that pretty silently. While with women it is a different story. The husband tries to make sure that everybody notices who is wearing the pants in that family. Their postures, their behaviors, their mode of dressing are all trying to be very masculine. Many times, it is funny to watch how they are trying to prove themselves.
It is ok with me. I don't have to live with them and as long as it is between two consenting adults, fine. But nobody can force me to like this. Maybe I am too old fashioned. In my days and all throughout history these people were there. BUT they never flaunted it like they do today.
Ok, here is my take on this situation.
I would like to ask on of these man wanabees how does she pee in the toilet? Standing up or sitting down? Because if she/he pees sitting down she is a woman, and it doesn't matter how she dresses and how she cuts her hair.
Dreams many times just remain dreams.
Lately I have been watching music videos, primarily with Israeli artists. During these viewining they show the orchestras and all the musicians, and that made me think. A child develops an interest to certain musical instrument, that is very nice and commendable. Parents start to finance the musical education and training with high hopes in their hearts. These hopes drive the child to the time consuming exercises and taking this very seriously. The child also has dreams for the future.
Parents and children, all hope to become that particular artist the world had not seen before. And this where dreams will remain dreams. As time goes by, they will realize this not to happen. No solo performances in Carnegie Hall, a high school or college concert will remain the highpoint of their career. Pretty depressing, if you ask me.
Looking at these orchestra I am seeing the violin players and think that every one of them had different dreams when they started to play the violin. Later the best they could hope for a place in an orchestra where they will just remain a nameless member of an entourage. Unfortunately, violin is one where in orchestras large numbers are needed and to excel is not that easy. One might become the first violin but the rest are just the support players. This is depressing.
There are other instruments in orchestras where larger numbers of musicians are needed like base and others but there are some instruments where a small number of musicians are used. These instruments provide an opportunity to excel. But at an early age this factor is not a driving force in selecting the right musical instrument.
So, watching any orchestra to play we get close to a large group of unfulfilled dreamers.
I came to the conclusion that I am an old fuddy-duddy with outdated beliefs and outdated morals. There is nothing wrong with being a little conservative but when certain things do occur, they bother me. Not to the extent that I could not live with them but just to the extent that it forces me to make a comment.
Actually, being old gives us old fogies to criticize everything. It is in the Old People By-laws. We lived longer than most people around us, had seen more than most people around us and that is where our experience comes from.
Abigail's responses to my criticisms are that things are different now than they were when I was at her age. Ok, I accept that but still there are things that I can not just yet accept. There is nothing I can do about it but I do not have to like them.
Teenagers a weird breed. Actually over 19 is not a teenager but they keep behaving as if they were. A 20 year old boy thinks he is a man just because he can get it up and a same age girl thinks she is a woman just because she can let it in! They all think they are adults but at the first problem where do they run? Back to home base to mommy and daddy because they are not capable to deal with any problem life throws at them. Chronologically they are in their 20s but mentally they just barely past 14-15 with no morals.
I heard from more places that lately it is accepted that parents allow these kids to go away alone or even with the parents and wherever they are they get their own separate rooms. And I mean boy and girl together. Parents in one room, the "couple" in another. We can be sure that these kids are not playing video games when they are alone! Maybe part of the night. But we can not stop nature. Even if it is forbidden, they will find ways.
I came to this country alone when I was 20 years old. Now 60 years later I am faced with such an issue. I accept that I skipped a few decades in moral evolution but still. At age 20 or 19 I couldn't dream back home to go away with my girlfriend for a weekend. Her parents would have killed both of us! I was an only child and as a boy my parents were more permissive, but I don't believe to that extent.
Maybe I just had a sheltered childhood, but I don't believe any of my guy friends were in such a situation.
This world is changing very fast for my liking. I can't say stop the world I want to get off.
My morals, and I am becoming an old fuddy doddy
Robin just went through between my legs. I should be as well as he is. That little dog has a constitution that is to be envied. A week ago, we were scared because he ate two little grapes. Now he is totally out of danger and behaves as he always did.
It is funny that this dog does not hold a grudge. We took him to the vet where he was jabbed several times, but he took them as a trooper. Never a noise, never a growl. And later he was just happy as a clam when we got him home. Granted, he had a few quiet moments when he just sat and snoozed but those dcays are gone and now he is back to normal.
We should have such a quick recovery from being almost poisoned. Actually, he knows that it was unintentional, and he forgave us already. It had a price, though. We had to give up trying to force him eating dog food. He let us know that he is an equal member of the family and he wants the same food as we eat.
So, the dog food we bought for him will be given away in charity.
I wander how the history books in the furure will judge this country's military might. World War II was the only great war America won in modern times and that with the help of her allies. Shortly after WWII they got into the Korean fiasco which ended in failure. Lives lost, lives ruined and for what? To create a despotic dictatorial regime that sees the US as the biggest pariah in the world.
This country got involved in the Kuwait war against Iraq that they won. No great victory, but they won. However American involvement in Vietnam was another total failure. After years and years of fighting and human casualties America had to leave with her tail between her legs. The military superiority of this country was overcome by the Vietnamese. After all these years the disabled veterans from the Korean fiasco are still amongst us and are suffering the aftereffects of that war, The physical as well as psychological.
They went into Sudan but had to shamefully retreat. They went into Iraq but that was not a great glory either. The real McCoy was Afghanistan. This country supported the Taliban when they were fighting the Soviets and hoped they had a lifetime ally. But as it turned out the Taliban became one of Americas biggest enemy. After years of fighting a disorganized guerilla type war suddenly last year the United States withdrew all of its forces and presence from that country. Why did all those people die and got crippled for?
The other military victory that comes to my mind happened on the Caribbean island of Grenada. This island was invaded by Cuba. When the Americans marched in they found three drunken on rum Cuban soldiers who were more than happy to give up.
This is our military history. Not very glorious but this all we have. We are good rattling our sabers but don't have much to show. In the Mao days China called America a paper tiger.
It is very scary to think about the leaders of this country. For one, we have a president who is slightly amnesiac. He forgets his words, has the presence of a potato and with his decisions embarrasses the country. Not just here home but also on the world stage. At this point I don't believe anybody take him seriously. And to think about that he has the control of the button.
His vice president who was chosen to gain black and women votes turned out to be another embarrassment. Her popularity is also at rock bottom. It is frightening to think about what would happen if for any reason she would become president. Everybody just hopes that come 2024 neither of them will run for a second term.
Thinking out loud, nobody in their right minds would vote for these two with the exception of the hardcore democrats.
Another shameful person is the old lady Pelosi. It mystifies me how can she hold on to her position as the speaker of the house. How much she pays to get the votes for the other representatives? This woman is as unamerican as they come (where is McCarthy when we need him).
Just to spite everybody and against political advice, she decided to visit Taiwan. With that move she ruined the fledgling relationship US had with Beijing and even created the danger of war. China will not take kindly when someone spits in their eyes. But it seems this is no interest to this old woman.
She is power hungry and also crooked. She will do anything in her present position even if it is against common sense or even presidential advice. The way it looks she can not be controlled.
Good country America!
Years ago, on a radio call in show with an animal expert I heard him say that cats and dogs will never die of hunger if the food we serve them is not to their likings. They might be finicky but according to him eventually they will eat the food originally disliked.
Well, Robin proved this adage not true. Last week when we took him to the vet, we were told that people food is not very healthy for him. Regardless that we talked to a lot of people there who were all feeding their dogs people food forever without any problems.
But to avoid ang y later complications we tried regular dog food. My wife ordered via Amazon about 36 cans of dog food. Do you think he touched any of it? For two days he rather didn't eat. On the third day we felt sorry for him and gave him people food and he swallowed it all up without coming up for air. I am convinced if we tried to frce the dog food on him he would have died of hunger.
Now, all this dog food will be given away.
I really don't envy our wives. They cook, clean, command us and keep our houses in order. And most of the time whatever decision they make it is always the right one. At least if we want peace and quiet, we make them believe this was the right decision.
My rule is to agree whatever decision my wife makes. If it is the wrong one at least I am in the clear. At least that is what I am hoping for but somehow mysteriously things have a way to find themselves back to me, making me the cause of all bad decisions.
But this not important. This is the way of life (at least mine). I don't envy my wife because she is the boss in our kitchen and with that comes the difficult decision making of what to make every day. To create daily menus for a family is a very difficult responsibility. I learned a long time ago never complain about my wife's cooking, if I don't want to wear it. But thankfully she cooks very well.
Also, I like Hungarian food and she cooks Hungarian. But to make sure that our meals stay interesting and not monotonous she really has to reach into her memory to come up with the good stuff. Abigail is not much fan of Hungarian food. She loves Japanese, Korean an Spanish food. But these when necessary, we buy as takeout.
I can not list the names of the good stuff we had recently but believe me they were good. Being retired and pretty inactive the pounds stay with me. But thankfully I am not yet obese.
Just an update on Robin in case the world is interested.
Last night's blood test was good, and they said he was ok. They do not want to see him any more.
Today is Sunday and this is it.
Just an update on Robin, and other stuff.
First, I did not win the billion dollar Mega Millions lottery. Disappointing because I was getting ready for a change of lifestyle. I guess I just to get used to this one! I just can't imagine the headaches such an amount of money would create. It is not a headache I would very much object to but still it would make life more complicated than it already is. In short, I don't think I would mind.
The second thing is that we took Robin to the vet yesterday for his 24th hour bloodtest. He behaved like a trooper. I was really proud of him. According to the vet his blood results were good and if they are still good tonight then we will not have to go back anymore. Strong little guy!
It amazes me how much animal emergency there are. Yesterday we saw different pets with different problems. I guess no matter how we try to protect them there are still problems. Just like with people. And this business is built on that. This company has 33 clinics in the country, from Florida through California and they are dealing exclusively with emergencies. Not many return visits. And I guess they make good money.
This is the American way. Find something the public don't have and capitalize on it.
Good country America!
Yesterday/today we had a very busy and eventful day. Around 9pm my wife and I to watch tv and an old Elvis movie. While watching we were eating fresh grapes. Robin came over and sniffed around the grapes. My wife felt sorry for him and gave him two small grapes which Robin gratefully ate. Little later Abigail came out of her room and went ballistic when she found out Robin ate the grapes.
According to her, grapes are poisonous for dogs. They are toxic and can cause all kinds of kidney problems. Well, you can imagine how nervous we all got. I called our vet's office who were already closed but somebody on their emergency line told me to call ASPCA Poison Hotline. Easier said than done. We did but we had to wait almost 45 minutes until a human got connected. 45 minutes when every second counts? Unheard of! Anyway, they told us to try to induce vomit because that would help to get rid if the undigested food. We tried, the poor thing did throw up, but no foods were found.
We decided to go to a 24-hour vet place. The one nearby us, around midnight was open but they told us they had a major emergency, and everybody was involved in an operation. So, we drove out to Long Island where they were open, and he was looked at. Very nice place, only dealing with pet emergencies. One would think that at 1am such a place would be empty. No, almost full house. Cats and dogs and all emergencies.
We were there for about an hour while they worked on Robin. Vomiting was induced and he did eventually throw up the grapes and everything else. We got home by 2:30am. Now, we have to go back 24 hours after and 48 hours after because they want to monitor his blood and kidney functions to be sure he is ok. It wasn't cheap but who cares as long as the little guy is ok.
At this vet we all sat in one large room where we could see all the other patients and the ones they were working on. It is quite interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. These cats and dogs are brought in by their owners because of some kind of emergency. They are brought in to help them, to cure them, to make them better. The sad thing is that they don't understand what is happening. All they know is that their masters, owners brought them and whatever will happen will not be very comfortable. But they endure, mostly silently because they all trust their masters. Sad to see how they don't take their eyes off their owners, and they all have those questioning looks.
I felt sorry for all of them.
Never a dull moment!
I read in the new a while back that a new golf group was established by the name of LIV. This group has Saudi money in it and it supposed to make it more worthwhile for the players to join in. Since being a professional golf is strictly for the money it started to be very popular among the pros. They promise to pay out more than the PGA does.
Named professional players went over in large numbers and that scared the PGA to the point that they announced that whoever joins LIV is no longer a PGA member. Well, money talks and the players did not scare.
Why am I writing all this? Because no matter what happens in this country there are always people who don't like it and will object to it. There is a golf tour coming up in Boston i middle of September and people are already speaking up against it. They claim it is unethical or immoral or something like that to promote such event that has Saudi money in it. They say remember the World Trade Center, 9-11. Saudi Arabia was responsible for that so how can we accept their money for golf?
On that count why they are not objecting for Mercedeses, BMWs and other German products because of the Holocaust, or Nissan, Honda, Yamaha and other Japanese products because of WWII? Or interning the American Japanese makes us even?
Americans are very interesting. There are always the martyrs who play on public sentiment to get their points across.
I guess we can accept their oil but not their golf money!
I am getting more and more amazed by the Wall. The Western Wall in Jerusalem, that is. Thanks to the webcam system, with just a flick of a button I am there, electronically that is. I find the daily routine very interesting. Since the Wall is open for prayers 24/7 there is never a dull moment.
It is peculiar that through night when everybody is asleep the Wall is almost filled with orthodox people. Between midnight and 5-6 in the morning there is almost no room to pray. Then during the day, they disappear, and I guess, tourists come out and take up most of the day.
The orthodox don't sleep? Right now, it is 4pm in New York, that is 11pm in Jerusalem. The wall is slowly getting crowded by the orthodox. By their 4am it will be almost full. And they are also pouring concrete for something. I am very moved by the sights where I see a father with his little boy(s) walking up to the Wall and as far as I can see it explaining its meaning and the children reacting.
On the other hand, it bothers me that the women's section is separated from the men. That is a not a nice thing. Their section is shorter and consequently more crowded.
I am a cynic. I call the black dressed, orthodox men the professionals. In my mind that is all they do. Just pray all day. Not a bad way to make living.
I feel like Sitting Bull. Except I am not Indian, and I am surely better looking than the old Bull was. Today I did a lot of sitting.
Before noon. my wife had some chores to take care of and I decided to go with her. That led to an hour sitting in the car and waiting. After that we had some banking business to attend to and that meant another hour sitting in the bank. In the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment where I sat for an hour in the waiting area before being called in. After being in another 45 minutes wait in the examination room before the doctor showed up.
Actually, I waited longer than the entire visit took but at the end it was worth it because he was very satisfied with my lab results. This is not bragging just communicating what he said. He is a hematologist and keeps watching my blood for any sign of cancer.
Regardless of what country a doctor comes from I am convinced that in any medical school there is a course about how to treat patients. Not medically but physically. Every doctor I visited with do the exact same thing: first they make you wait then call you in and then they make you wait even more.
The funny thing was that many times I was called in at my appointment time but the doctor did not come in for another 45 minutes to an hour. I know somebody who quit his doctor saying that his time was just as valuable as the doctor's.
The Western Wall in Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites in the Jewish religion. It is believed that prayers emanating from there reach God directly and many more believes. Part of the wall was built over two thousand years ago, and it is still standing. Huge crowds of people go there daily to pray. It is open 24/7 and theoretically it is for all religions, but I think Jews are the primary attendees.
I like web cameras because they rarely lie. Also, I like to see things as they happen and not the sanitized versions. Anyway, I found a website that shows 24/7 the Wall. My wife and I are now hooked on it. Find it extremely interesting and moving. I never had any urge to visit Israel but now that I am seeing this I really would like to go.
I grew up in a non-religious environment that was the result of the prevailing political system. I also suffered because I am Jewish. Consequently, I did not go around loudly advertising my religion. My religion and my believes are between me and my Maker!
Watching the Wall, I find it very interesting the number of young people who visit it and pray alongside of it.I don't know how many Americans or other nationalities are there but that is not important. The important thing is that not all young people are about playing, drinking and not being useful. Young boys and girls come to the Wall and pray. Not because their parents say so but because they believe in it. And this is what I find very refreshing.
I wish I could see such a devotion in this country!
Yesterday, I started my tirade against the clowns who sit in the House of Representatives. Today I am continuing it. Like I said, these people are running around beating their chests screaming I am a representative, I am a representative! Beside themselves, who do they represent? There is a communist (OC) and a Muslim who is openly antisemitic in their numbers. These certainly do not represent the American people.
This past Thursday they took their circus on prime time tv. This joke of the January 6 Commission went on live tv to air their hearing. Do these people honestly believe that the American people really care about what happened way back? Or this just part of ringmaster Pelozzi's plan to continue discrediting the legally elected American president?
What is she hoping to achieve republicans into that commission just to show hou with this circus? She placed a few republicans, like Chaney into the commission just to show how bipartisan and fair she is. She wouldn't know fair if it would hit her. Pelozzi's anti trump behavior is sickening, childish and ridiculous. Like her tearing up his State of the Union speech.
Why there is no commission and hearings about the current inflation, the high gas prices, the shortages at the supermarkets? Because all these and more are caused by her beloved and senile democratic president. Why there is no investigation about Pelosi's son in law, Michael Voss being at the Capitol on January 6. Every report about him had been erased. Why there are no Congressional hearings abou Biden's son, Hunter about his cxrooked dealings? Because daddy is the president and Pelosi will not go up against him.
The American people would be more interested in a "cause of inflation" hearing than prime time January 6 stuff, where these members act upset and read their prepared speeches and ask their pre rehearsed questions.
In November there is a new election coming up. All these jokers are up for reelection. If the democrats' numbers are up, come January 2023 all of them will be looking for work. Nobody can tell me that they are not looking out for themselves!
Good country, America!
