Word to the Wise

 This is a real story.

Saturday afternoon I got a call on my cell phone from an unknown number. Against my better judgement, I answered. This was in the afternoon and that number left a message in the morning already. Very insistent.

Well, he introduced himself as XYZ from the Publishers Clearing House. In short, he told me that after playing their game for years my name was drawn as a winner. My winning was $3.5 million, a Mercedes Benz and $10,000 a week for a year. He said they, the Price Patrol, were in the neighborhood and were to come over later on.

He said I should have all my personal identifications (licence, passport) ready. Then he threw in something that made me think. He said I should get a Vanilla Gift Card for $500 because they would need that.

At this point I stopped taking him seriously. What kind of a sweepstake want a $500 gift card up front? Anyway he told me that as soon as I get that gift card give him a call and they would be coming over.

After this I called PCH and inquired and I was told that they never call in advance, they just show up.

So now I am sitting at home and waiting for my Mercedes and $3.5 million check.

I might be old but not completely stupid. I wander how many people fall for these scams.

Exual Harrassment

 This was not a typo!

It seems to me that lately every young woman who work for some kind of government official want to have their 15 minutes of fame by crying sexual harassment.

Fine, let it be their way. But when all the hoopla quiets down nobody will ever remember them. They will be yesterday's news. And what would have they achieved? Nothing except ruining someone's life.

With the exception  of Monica Lewinsky nobody ever remember or care about these people. Monica Lewinsky was not harassed, she was a willing participant and she made a name for herself based on her activities .

Today they are on tv tomorrow they will be yesterday's news, looking for work. No company in its right mind will ever hire people like these. They are trouble from the get go.

Lately just saying the most mundane thing to a young lady can be construed as sexual harrassment. This is a joke. From time immemorial, men had different attitudes toward women than toward men.

Years ago when I worked we had female co-workers. We talked, we joked, we made remarks, we all flirted. Nobody ever construed these dialogues as sexual harrassment. And nobody was ever thrown on the desk and violated. This sexual harrassment thing now seems to be very fashionable. 

Women, who have no life like to have this 15 minutes of fame. They like the knowledge that they might have ruined someone's life. What is this, a power trip?

Or is there some dark force behind all these claims who dredge up things from the past, find a willing participant, offer some financial incentives and then it is off to the races?

Airlines

 This morning I heard on the financial news that Lufthansa the German airline announced a $6.6 billion loss in 2020, while in 2019 they had $2,something billion profit.

I am really confused. I don't know how sorry should I feel for them. A little or a lot? All these airline s are nothing but flying dirtbags. Their interest is not to get the flying public from point A to point B but how to screw that public. This applies to the domestic as well as the foreign airlines.

Trump wanted to or maybe he did bail out the American carriers during the pandemic times. I wouldn't have given them a red cent. Use the money they chiseled out of the flying public.

When they sell tickets there is no seat selection, no food and no baggage included. It seems we can travel for the posted prices with a paper bag and standing all the way. Don't laugh this will be the future of air travel.

Abigail

I am a very proud step dad!

A couple of days ago Abigail told and showed us that she made the Dean's List in her college. She is on the list for the 2020-2021 winter semester. Her grades were excellent and they were appreciated.

I know she studies very hard and very conscientiously. Yesterday she had a math exam that she was very apprehensive of. It turned out she got a 100. So why be afraid.

Even though she is not my biological daughter she is picking up a lot of things from me. Like she is smart, her mom says that her general behavior looks more and more like mine, and she is picking up my good and one or two bad habits. Now, one can not go wrong with that, right?

Unfortunately, being on the Dean's List does not come with anything just that her name is there. No gifts, no financial advantages except maybe higher exceptations.

Bottom line is that her mom and I are both very proud of her!

Guns

I have been writing this blog for quite a while and it is possible that some subjects I will touch again. If I do, I apologize.

The second amendment in the United States Constitution that was accepted in 1791 deals with the right to keep and bear arms.

Well, in my opinion this is stupid! This amendment should be repealed or should have been a while ago. In 1791 and for years after that there was lawlesness, there were armed bands in the countrysides and ye, people had to protect their homes, their families and themselves.

But for crying out loud, we are living in the 21st century. Armed bands only appear in the movies. And if someone is trying to protect himself using a weapon against a bad person he gets into more trouble then the culprit he is defending against.

Yet, the NRA is fighting tooth and nail to keep guns in people's possession.I can understand hunting rifles, but is the purpose of any other kind of weapon in a household?

For hunting one does not need a machine gun or any other kind of repeating weapon. Against spacemen these weapons will not work anyway (I didn't want to use the word alien because the meaning could be misunderstood).

I could never understood why people in the south or west like Texas people have to strut around with guns in their belts. Are we living in the Wild West days again?

No matter what the authorities might do the bad elements will always be able to obtain guns. They always did and they always will. But the law abiding populace have no reason to be armed. 

This is again politicking, 

Beauty and the Beast

I heard it many times that "money isn't everything". This was said in the movies and books, It was always or almost always mouthed by rich people who always had money and never imagined an existence where money was not readily available.

Every person that I know dreams of one day becoming rich. Rich to the point when there is no worry about rents, mortgage payments, credit card payments etc. Getting love at home is good. It makes a person feel rich. But love does not pay the rent nor the food bill. 

They say money does not buy good health. True, but it buys the best doctors available. Because doctors are human and they also work for money and not just for the betterment of humanity. When one is in trouble (any kind) a good attorney is necessary. They also cost money.

People need jobs not because they love to work but because they need money to support their families.

Bottom line is that money is needed all through one's life.

So, here are the tho biggest idiots of the century: Harry and Meghan. These two people had what every human on earth can only dream about. A royal lifestyle, no worries about their future, financial independence. And they gave it all up just because somebody slighted the American goddigger.

Good riddance. If they don't think they belong there get the hell out and start life anew. They are currently the news but eventually it will fade and they will just become yesterdays news. I am sure the royal family will survive their absences but I wonder what will they teach their children about their family history and gratitude.

The fact that he craps on his grandmother's and grandfother's head is another story. They raised him and his brother after his mother's death but it seems gratitude is not in Harry's dictionary. He is, so he says enthralled by his son and wife that it is just not normal. 

But today the word normal no longer exists.  

Retirement in Covid Time

9 am I get up. This is pretty much my routine. No matter how late I go to sleep. somehow oround 9 in the morning my eyes pop open. There is really no reason to get up any earlier because I do not ha ve a busy schedule. To be honest I do not have a schedule at all. 

My wife get up a little before me this way by the time I make my way to the living room the TV is on and the coffee is made. So the day begins. We sit around and talk until around 10:30. Abigail does not get up until 11 but she is up easily until 2 am. Robin is also sleeping very peacefully with whoever he can sleep with and by now it is Abigail.

Around 10:30 I start to "beautify" myself and by 11 I am ready for whatever the day throws at me. Which is not much!

I do not go outside unless we go somewhere by car to shop or there is a doctor's appointment . Usually my only foray to the outside world is when we take Robin for his midnigh pee run. I go out with my wife for protection! My walking cane is my weapon but thank God so far there was no need to use it.

Anyway between 11 am and evening we clean the house (meticulously), sit front of our selective computers or  watch TV. Oh, we also have lunch. After dinner my wife and I watch a movie or two which might take us to or past midnight. Then bedtime.

This is retirement in covid time.