Tuesday

It is totally ridiculous what goes on in this country. On November 8 there was a presidential election. On that election Donald Trump won the electorate vote with a pretty considerable margin. Now some sore losers are demanding a recount just because the election didn't turn out the way they wanted to.

I thought we live in a democratic society. But apparently we are not.  This seems like a dictatorship where a minority dictates the rules the way it is advantageous for them.

Hillary Clinton conceded the election. Accepted Trump as the winner. The world accepted him as the winner. Now why it is necessary to go through this circus of a recount. What does that old woman from the Green Party expect to achieve.

And why did she run and what the hell is the Green Party? I'll bet she is getting aid by the Clintons to create this chaos. Because that is exactly what would happen if the election results are changed.

First there would be such a chaos in this country that nobody would believe it, second the United States would become the total laughing stock of the world. No money or loud talk would be able to buy back their prestige.

The new president would also be the laughing stock of the world and would be looked at as the Castro of the US.

Is that is what we want? I always thought a democratic election is one where the winner wins according to the rules. May those be the electoral votes or popular votes. Neither system is perfect but that is what we have here. And, if we don't like the results we live with it for four years and then change it.

But certainly don't change the outcome of a democratic election just because it was not as democratic as we wanted it.

Monday

When I returned from my visit in Hungary in 2014 I brought back a few bottles of Hungarian brandy (palinka) and a couple of bottles of Polish slivovitz. This is same as the brandy.

Somehow if I drink the American stuff it gives me a shake and I just don't like it. But when I drink the Hungarian or the Polish stuff they give me no problem. To me this is a scientific miracle.

Well, sadly we finished off the last bottle during the Thanksgiving weekend. Now there is no more of this and I am very sad about it.

I just will have to make sure hat when somebody whom I know will go to Hungary will bring me back a few bottles of this good stuff. Interestingly there are a lots of different kinds of alcoholic drinks on the store shelves but none of these can be found here in the States.

I wonder why there is no market for such things. Vodkas are on the other hand in abundance. Every week there is a new brand coming out. Some claim to be Russian some re really Russian. And their price ranges are all over the scale.

I like vodka and to me the good vodka is the cheap vodka. Since I only drink it mixed I will not spend extra money on a designer brand.

Cheapovski brand is the best.

Sunday

Today is Sunday and as it is usual we rested. We really didn't do anything useful. Slept late and then went out to lunch with a  very good friend and his wife.

It was just the four of us, Abigail stayed home.

This is a very nice couple whom I know for a long time and fortunately my wife warmed to them also. We see each other about once a month and most of the time for a late lunch.

Today was no exception. We met at 2 pm and didn't leave the restaurant until almost 6 pm. Well, the place is a diner and they let us sit there for a long time without any bother.

What can we talk about for four hours?

Anything and everything. From travel, to shopping to health to food to politics to personal things. We know each other well, meaning there is nothing to hold back on. And that makes talking very easy.

I love to talk to friends and so does my friend. But don't feel sorry for the women. They were not left behind in our little talk festival.

At the end we all had a good time, ate well and around 6 pm parted company. This doesn't mean we won't talk for a month. We'll be communicating on the telephone pretty frequently. At least until they go away.

My friend and his wife are going on a two month vacation that will include cruise and land stay.

Tough life they live.

Thursday/Frday

So I ate too much turkey yesterday and afterwards was not able to think straight.

Well, Thanksgiving (the day) is over. Yesterday we were invited to my wife's son for a traditional turkey dinner.

For a guy who never ever cooked a turkey in his life this one turned out fantastic. I love the drumstick and polished one off with half the turkey attached to it. There was soup, stuffing others side dishes, deserts and drinks.

We had wine and for desert we had Polish Slivovitz. This is a very potent short drink that we drank the long way. Put us all into a very happy frame of mind.

Today is Black Friday when the throngs of people go shopping and all hoping to land the deals of a lifetime. On this day the malls are wall to wall people with many stores opening around midnight and surprisingly people taking advantage of it.

Today is an official workday but most of the workplaces give today off. I for one don't remember when the Friday after Thanksgiving was not a holiday for me.

I keep telling my wife that today is still part of the holiday but she doesn't give me any breaks. Laundry, house cleaning and other mundane chores. Abigail is home from school and that is just about the only thing that makes today different.

But the good husband that I am, I just grin and bear it.

Wednesday

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. This will be a long, four day weekend. For those who work and get Friday off it is great. For a retiree it doesn't much matter. Except there will be crowds everywhere throughout the entire weekend.

Abigail wil take advantage of this because she will be home until Monday morning.

Right after this Holiday the Christmas madness will start. Actually at some places it has already started. At my apartment building the staff yesterday decorated the entrance with colored lights and decorating the two large trees at each side of the entrance.

Yesterday I saw into a private house where there was a christmas tree standing in all its glory.

Now that is idiotic. X-mas is on December 25 and to decorate a tree in a private home on November is kind of stupid.

Pretty soon they will be having the decorations on all year through. It wouldn't surprise me at all.

Anyway I wish a nice Thanksgiving  to all.

Tuesday

Really don't mind giving pleasure to people. Even if it costs me money.

My wife's son's birthday is on December 25. The poor guy is losing out on either Christmas or his birthday.

He is 25 years old. How can somebody be that young? It is very upsetting.

Anyway the poor kid loves computers and his broke down quite a while ago. So, we decided to buy him one for his Day. This afternoon my wife and I went to the nearest Apple Store and bought him a new computer. Not a notebook but a full 21.5" computer.

We asked him very cryptically if he was home tonight and when he said yes we showed up with the stuff.

That look of surprise on his face was worth anything. He was completely taken back with the present. He kept repeatedly hugging his mom and me he was o happy. He immediately set up the computer, tomorrow the Internet will be installed by the cable company so he will be ready to go.

Even if I am a Scrooge at other things giving pleasure like this is worth anything.

Monday

I don't pretend to be a wine connoisseur. I don't know wine and any good wine just would be a waste on me. However I do like sweet wines, fruity wines.

The experts drawn on these but I really don't care. It is my palate and not theirs. I read several times that people bought really old wines at auctions for lots of money and when they opened the bottle it turned out to be vinegar.

For me the cheaper and sweeter is the better.

I know that Walmart sells wine for about $5.99 a bottle. They have a variety of different types. I heard on the radio that there was a wine contest or whatever they call it and from all the different wines one of Walmart's $5.99 type won the first prize.

Now that is a kick n the groin for all the wine drinking snobs.