Nobody is Promised Tomorrow. . .
Just noticed that my rainy day saving earned a big 86 cents interest this month. MomIda’s mantra of Don’t Spend the Principal ain’t hacking it in the 21st century. Think the old Cash is Trash mantra might be more appropriate.
A new plan for a new reality: When not earning interest, spend on items of interest.
No new pictures today. Volunteer, rain storm, and a nap derailed photography.
Just curious: I wonder what sarah palin is doing for health insurance these days? Unfortunately I fear that any sort of real health care reform is toast. And that it will be another 15 years before the democrats decide to try again. Is it uncharitable for me to hope that all the screaming lunatics end up waiting on line for free care when Remote Area Medical comes to their town?
When you are a old person you get really macabre junk mail.
And, they must think you are really dumb too. Too dumb to figure out how to open an envelop. OR, maybe, only folk who are too senile to open envelops are the target audience.
Got forward links fixed up on 2002. 2002 was a pretty crappy year looking back at it. Mom got gall bladder cancer. The Sniper hit our neighborhood. I gave up estrogen. Never mind, August 18, 2002.
Still feeling the Ubuntu Love. I have decided that I like Dolphin better than Nautilus. Now, if only Lightroom would run under WINE.
Northern Virginia Community College offers Air Traffic Control for Dummies. It is best not to think about it too much, especially when you live in the landing path to National Airport.
More on clouds. Mint. With some fear I started using Mint a few months ago. Being more than a little squeamish about giving access to all my financial accounts to a cloud. But, I figured they have lots of other people’s account info and if they get hacked – I am betting that I can rush out and change the passwords on all my stuff before the evil ones get to me.
Funny thing about Mint. If doesn’t process my Schwab holdings correctly and I says that I am worth $65,816,262. Note to family NOT EVEN CLOSE. Not even a power of 10. No need to throw granny under a bus.
Like President Obama, I wasn’t really born in the USA. I was born in West, BY GOD, Virginia. And, if anyone thinks that WV is a part of the USA – well, they haven’t been there. Radio announcers used to say “Good Morning America, and you too West Virginia”. Heck, I was over 50 before I would admit that I was born there.
Are there no Republicans out there with both brains and guts enough to shout down the “base”? It is a sad day for the grand ole party when I look back fondly at Newt Gingrich.
I recall that the Republic survived the KnowNothing Party – yes, boys and girls, in the 40’s and 50’s (1840’s) there was a Know Nothing Party, whose platform included such popular themes as:
Sound familiar???
Well, I am all ready to upgrade to WP 2.8.2 from 2.7.1. I have backed everything up and upgraded the supporting cast members. Now we push the Please update now button that has been nagging me for a couple of months.
Well, so far so good.
After putzing around with the blog software – I took the camera and new lens over to the Nature Conservancy weed lot for a little photo play. The trouble with the L1 is that I like it too much. It makes my pointer and shooter seem a little lame.
Carlton and I just had a really strange conversation. First he implied that my dressing left something to be desired but that what I wear isn’t any business of his. Well, I know he hates green. So, I have nothing green. I doesn’t like clothes that are loose, baggy or unstructured either. But, I wear those things. And, I’ll agree that I don’t dress like he would like. But, when was the last time he took me anywhere that required “proper lady” clothes?
Second, he explained that he didn’t intend to ever go to the doctor to get any tests for any thing any more. He was just going to die. He does go to the skin cancer guy and the dentist. In a way that is what my dad did. And, he lived to be 82. Mom, who enjoyed poor health and went to the doctor all the time, lived to be 82. Dad spent 2 weeks dying of cancer. Mom spent 5 months. They both ended up dead. So, Carlton might have something.
What I wear is my business and if Carlton doesn’t want a colonoscopy – that is his business.
Pardon me whilst I take an old woman’s mental trip back to the summer of 1969. Things were not all wonderful then. Our president had been killed, our boy friends, sons and husbands were being killed in the jungles of South East Asia. The evil empire had control of at least half the world. And don’t get me started about the role of women in those days.
But, we were going to moon. And had every intention of getting back alive. What have we done lately? Where is the adventure. Of course, there was the evil empire – spurring us on. Can’t we go to the moon and beyond – just to find out what there is to see? Must there be an enemy to get us to do anything except eat and hone our video gaming skills?
Now, Apollo 11 – that was real reality TV.
Step away from the computer and go to the stars, boys and girls.
click for the larger version
Last night I went to the US Army Old Guard’s Twilight Tattoo. A first class advertising campaign.
I didn’t get any good photos. But, seems to me that the two images above illustrate the importance of lighting. The left image looks rather sinister. Is that armed man going to open fire on the people stuffed in the stands. The right image only looks sinister to old anti-war activists like me. Most would see a friendly soldier.
In the background is one of the main buildings of the “Army War College”. Do they have a football team? What about cheerleaders?
Army War College – in the olden days the War College maintained a cadre of personnel called “The Enemy Army”. As I recall the enemy spoke Esperanto, had uniforms, the whole deal. I wanted to join the Enemy Army.
Gotta feel sorry for Farrah Fawcett – not only did she die – but after about six hours her death was upstaged by Michael Jackson.
Time for my summer photo fun, hunting for the perfect bee shot. And, the best magnolia.
But, let’s bitch. I am a senior. Hate that title. I am an old person. You can only be a senior citizen if there are junior citizens. And sophomore citizens. What’s wrong with just being old?
Well one thing wrong is being bombarded day and night with messages like this one:
We anticipate there will be a lot of seniors who come out of the woodwork when they realize their TVs go black,” said Theresa Lambert, who leads the digital TV outreach efforts for the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. “No matter how much information is out there, it’s not until those TVs go dark that you get their attention.”
Hello World, us old people didn’t actually invent the Internet – Al Gore did that – and we didn’t invent the computer or the television – our parents and grand parents did that. We are not Luddites. We designed, built, repaired, operated and programmed those big iron computing machines. Machines that supported the Manhattan Project, machines that landed men on the moon and got them back home. Ray Tomlinson actually invented E-Mail. And he is a senior. We can figure out converter boxes.
It is the American way. We the people have the right to TV, but not to health care. If you are one the unfortunates that have neither cable nor digital TV’s – that would be Carlton – our government will send you a coupon for $40 off a converter box. And, if you can not figure out how to set up your converter box – the government will send an Americorps person to your house to set it up. (Carlton had me set up his converter boxes.)
All things considered, wouldn’t you rather have a government who would send you a coupon for $40 off your medical care. And, a doctor to check on you in your home when you are ill.
Hey, it is June. General Motors has declared bankruptcy. Something seems wrong about Fiat buying Chrysler and Jeep. (Remember, boys and girls, Jeep is a WW2 vet.) And, GM goes bellyup. Now, let it be said that in my 50 years of car ownerhip I have owned all or part of:
So, an American manufactured car has never darkened my driveway. It would seem that I am part of the problem. But, Ike Turner’s Rocket 88 is on my Fitness Walking playlist. That is about as close to a GM product as I get.
Took the FX01 on my forced march this morning. Weather and iris left much to be desired.
About a week ago I realized that I was a digital pack rat. An old woman with too much stuff. Digital Stuff. Well, after a week, my inbox is still empty, and the Hawaii photos from 2001 have been culled and cataloged. Next week, I plan to finish up 2001. Moving right along.
Carlton is watching horse racing. I was always sort of neutral about horse racing, but after last year – when they put Eight Belles down on the track after she came in second. And after Barbaro in 06. So, I am here in the living room, with Carlton watching horse racing on TV. And, I am listening to my “Final Exit” Play List – loud. I hope no horses have to die today so American white women can wear big hats. Black women can wear big hats every Sunday morning. And British woman can wear big hats when ever the Queen comes to visit. But, American white women sacrifice horses to justify wearing big hats.