What’s new?

Not much, I guess. I did find a few articles that interested me. It appears that the police chief in Flint, Michigan, has invoked a crackdown on saggy pants. “Crackdown” is a most appropriate word for what he’s doing. However, the American Civil Liberties Union – that’s a group that’s always busy -- said he would have to halt stopping and searching individuals dressed in low-riding pants that expose their underwear and bottoms. But the mayor says he’s going to keep on doing what he’s doing. He said wearing pants below the waist is a crime and those that do can be subjected to body searches for other crimes such as drugs and guns. He says exposing your butt is a crime. I know I don’t like looking at some guy with his pants hanging half off his butt, but don’t the police in Flint have anything more important to focus on? There must not be any real crime in Flint.

I see where 9 people in Iran have been sentenced to death by stoning. They were convicted of adultery. Six of them had no witnesses or the presence of their lawyers during their confessions. Their verdicts have been approved, and they could be executed at any time. Adultery is the only capital crime punishable by stoning according to Iran’s Islamic laws. Where do these horrible ideas and laws originate . . . like the stoning and also the circumcision of young girls. Both of these are despicable acts and hard to imagine they even exist, but they do. The Koran does not approve of either act. So why are these splinter groups of Islam so powerful and get away with such heinous practices? We should be thankful that isn’t happening in our country . . . at least not to my knowledge. Can you imagine stoning people for committing adultery in the USA? No way!

Over the past year, five human feet have washed up on the shores of British Columbia – just plain, old feet and nothing else. Police had the feet under investigation since the inception of this case but had come up with nothing. But now they have identified, with the help of DNA, the person who belonged to one of the feet. They say it belonged to a depressed man who went missing a year ago! No wonder he was depressed – I know I would be if I lost my feet. They are still working on the remaining feet, and, I’m sure, hoping to not find anymore floating in the waters off the Canadian shore. What goes on up there anyway? First it was Robert Pickton and the pig farm murders and now this. We do have interesting neighbors.

This picture was taken many years ago, and it appears that I was crying. I must have either just wet my pants or it was an incredibly hot day – probably both. I used it because that’s just way I’ve felt all week. It has been so blankety blank hot I felt like shooting myself! I don’t have a gun. I probably wouldn’t do it even if I did have a gun. Every day the weather forecasters have said that the next day would be the start of a “cool down.” Unfortunately, the “next day” never seems to come. It’s been in the 90s for days. My house looks like a tomb – all the blinds are closed and the doors shut as nothing but hot air pours in when I open them. I use the air conditioner as little as possible because of the electric bill. I do have a big fan on the floor that helps some. I’ve been going out for a walk about 6:30am every day – usually in what I slept in the night before which isn’t that much. Sometimes I stop at Starbucks on the way back and get a coffee cake slice which takes away all the benefits of the walk.

During the day, I do next to nothing. It’s too hot to vacuum (I don’t do much of that anyway) and dusting is out of the question. I clean the toilets and prepare my food . . . so what else is there? I watch a lot of TV, but I do that anyway. I’m trying to read two books at one time – the latest James Frey book and Craig Ferguson’s book. They are both good, and this time Frey’s book is a novel which the other one was but he didn’t tell anyone it was until it was too late. I watch re-runs of L&O - all three of them. I watch Seinfeld and DVR Craig Ferguson and watch him the next day. There are some new shows starting, thank God. I don’t think I could have lasted much longer. So I’m wondering, just how has my life changed with this heat except for the fact that it’s too damn hot? I guess not much.

I try not to watch many news shows, as then I really feel like shooting myself! I got so sick of seeing Jesse Jackson on TV. Why is he even newsworthy? Does that guy have a real job – has he ever had a real job? The news is so grim – the stock market’s down the toilet, Fannie and Freddie are down the same toilet, banks are failing or about to fail, people are withdrawing their money from one bank . . . where do you suppose they’re putting it? People are getting laid off, companies are going bankrupt, gas is out of sight and food is just as bad and that’s just for starters. Our country is in a shitload of trouble, and it all started when our great leader decided to take on Iraq. Didn’t turn out too well, did it?

That’s enough of that. Guess I’ll go and see if L&O is on someplace. I know it is.

I’ve been going to Tom Dwyer Automotive Services for quite some time. They have seen me through several different cars, and I’ve been extremely satisfied with their service. I now have a Volvo which I affectionately call “The Tank” because it’s so heavy . . . even the doors are heavy and the trunk, well, the trunk is also very heavy. Everything about it is heavy, but I guess that works to my advantage because it makes me safe when someone decides to wipe me out. When I need repairs done, it takes a while because I think they probably have to phone, send a telegram or e-mail Sweden to send over the proper parts. They’re not cheap, but what can you do? I think I’m helping one of the employee’s kids through college; I’m not sure which one. But I do my share and expect good treatment which I always get. That is, until one day when something happened!

I was getting ready to pay my bill and I noticed a big ball in the corner – a ball made out of rubber bands. I got really excited and asked Clint, who was waiting on me, what it was about. He told me Ken Bartz, the manager, had started it out of rubber bands 7 years ago. Clint picked it up, brought it over to me and asked if I’d like it. I shouted “Yes, I would,” but it turned out he was just kidding. I was very disappointed. I told him I could have put it on my deck with my bowling ball (I don’t bowl). I got the bowling ball at a Goodwill store one day – I don’t know why, I just did. I tried arguing with him, and I think I embarrassed him because he had been kidding all along, not expecting a sane person would want a rubber band ball. But he just didn’t know me that well – I’m not that sane. So while I was whining and fussing about the ball, Ken came over and held the ball. And that’s when I took the above picture. As you can see, it’s about the same size as a bowling ball and would have looked great on my deck. But it was not to be. I may have threatened to stop bringing my Volvo to them, but if I did, it didn’t work because I came home without the rubber band ball. Now when I go there, I just look at it. I don’t think I could even sneak in and steal it as I couldn’t carry it – it’s pretty heavy, like my Tank. So I’ll just have to enjoy it when I’m there. And each time the Tank and I go there, the rubber band ball is a little bigger. Ken is very diligent and does a good job with the ball – also my car.

My friend, Diane, and I went to Manhattan last week and stayed with Teri and Mark for a week. We had a blast! The first day, I took Diane to Battery Park to ride on the ferry around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had done that many years before so was acting as tour guide. We passed by the two destinations and then stopped for people to get off. I thought it must be the end of the tour even though we hadn’t explored the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, so we disembarked and stopped at a nice restaurant nearby in a sort of park area. We had a delicious lunch, but then I felt that I needed to expel some gas, or fart, as I would say. So I got up and moved to the center of the courtyard, away from people, and did my thing. As I turned and looked to the right, there was the huge Statue of Liberty right next to us! How could that be? I asked someone if we were in Battery Park and she said we were on Liberty Island. So we got on another ferry that went to Ellis Island during a horrible rain storm, so we stayed on and went back to Battery Park. I screwed up that trip royally and told Diane I was such a crappy tour guide that I was resigning from that business, and she was on her own from then on. She was delighted and did much better without me. She even went to mass at Trinity Church which is a block from Teri’s place and is absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure she said a prayer for me or whatever it is people do in church for those who need help.

Teri and Mark took us to the Broadway play “Boeing – Boeing” which was hilarious.
One day we took a guided tour of the UN by one of Mark’s friends who works for UNICEF. That was extremely interesting and something I had never expected to be able to see.

Over the weekend we went to Fire Island off Long Island. You go by ferry and are met at the dock by the friend with whom you’ll be staying. Teri’s friend had her big red wagon and we piled all of our stuff in it and were off to her house. She is a good friend and was so welcoming to us. The house was enormous and we just did our own thing. The bay was on the side where we arrived, and just a few blocks down the street, in the opposite direction, was the ocean. No cars on the island – just wagons, bikes and deer. We had a wonderful time there, and our hostess was very gracious. We sat on the beach and, of course, got sunburned. It was hazy, so I didn’t put on lotion until it was almost time to leave the beach. I seem to have trouble getting things right! So I was burned on my legs and feet. I had put some on my face earlier so I wasn’t a total loser.

We left the island Sunday and that evening we went to dinner on Stone Street which is near Teri’s place but lower down toward the river. It’s the oldest street in Manhattan and is all cobblestones – so much history there. We ate outside, and it was such a good way to end our trip. It had poured down rain a few minutes earlier, but it was nice for us. The above picture is of the four of us after we ate, and it was taken by the waiter with my new birthday present digital camera from Teri and Mark. Mark and I stayed up late one night so he could give me instructions on how to use it. I had had some wine, but I think I managed to retain at least some of what he said.

The next day we headed to the airport for what turned out to be “The Ride from Hell.” We had aisle seats, but there was a woman sitting in Diane’s seat with two little kids. She was supposed to be in the window seat and didn’t want to give it up. But it was Diane’s seat and Diane wasn’t about to trade as we both wanted good bathroom access. So the woman eventually moved but harassed Diane all the way home until finally the flight attendant worked things out so that Diane could move up one row to another aisle seat. That woman was a real bitch – she could have reserved an aisle seat herself beforehand. So Diane was really stressed out during the flight which was quite turbulent at times, and that didn’t help matters. And then, all of a sudden, the little boy in front of me threw up all over his mother, the seat, the floor, the back of the seat in front him and just about every place nearby. His parents seemed to be wonderful people and everyone tried to help in some way. And then he did it again! So it was a smelly flight, but I felt sorry for the family who took it all in stride. I was sitting by a woman and a man – the woman was next to me and I never saw her face. She was turned to the man the entire time – I think they met on the plane – and she talked non-stop for 5 ½ hours! When I’m on a plane, I want to read or sleep and not talk to someone all the way . . . or even part of the way. I couldn’t really hear what she was saying and didn’t try to listen, but I did hear her say things like “Where was it at?” and “Her and her brother work together.” Doesn’t anyone use good grammar anymore? That frustrated me even more than the fact that she never shut up the entire time.

So we got home with a lot of crazy memories. Teri and Mark, you were so good to us and we loved every minute with you. Thanks so much for putting up with us for a week.

The next evening at home, I watched my favorite late night show – Craig Ferguson. Now that I have a DVR I can watch him anytime I want. I watched a couple of his shows, and they made me laugh out loud – I guess that’s LOL. I love his show – he always looks rather disheveled and bounces around the stage waving his hands and arms. His laugh and accent make me laugh, and he’s very cute. On this episode he was talking about men’s magazines and one that asked what ten things a man wants a woman to do to please him. So Craig says there was only one thing they want a woman to do – just show up! And also bring a friend and maybe move around a little more! He also said that fat people with tiny little feet make him laugh. I love him. So after watching him, I decided I was home and could get into my old routine of Seinfeld reruns, L&O reruns and Craig. What a life I have! And as Craig would say, “I KNOOOOW!”