WHO'S GOT A JOB ??

One of the MAJOR areas of argument & contention in the on-going Republican Presidential nominating process -- & after that, no doubt in the actual campaign/election  process between the Elephants & the Asses -- has been who is the best individual equipped to help regain prosperity again in our country through the creation  of ... JOBS.

I have to admit I have tuned-out the whole Republican multi-debateathon a long time ago. I don't have the time. It's a shorten season in the NBA.  I've got games to watch on my sports package.

With the four remaining Republicans looking to win the Florida primary this coming week, it occurs to me that three out of the four running for that states votes ... don't have jobs.  Just like me !!

Ron Paul is still in Congress, but I have no idea how many of his staffers are running his office.  At least he has a job.

Rick Santorium was tossed out of the Senate by the the voters of his home state, Pennsylvania.  The people didn't want him in office, so I have no idea what makes him think the whole nation would want him to be their leader.  I guess he's living on borrowed money, from whoever wants to contribute to his attempt to make a name for himself, other than "loser".

Newt Gingrich reminds me a lot of Rush Limbaugh.  I love to listen to both men speak. [I have Rush on a pre-set on my truck radio.]  Both articulate their thoughts/feelings/messages well.  The problem is both men are full of s**t !! As for Newt's income & having a REAL job, I'll leave it up to Mitt Romney & the rest of the Republicans to try to figure out what, if any, of what Newt claims is the truth, is actually real, or just "Newt Speak".

Ah ... now I can relate to Mitt Romney.  He's REALLY just like me.  Neither of us has worked in years & both of us depend on income from investments. [Of course, my 401k got slaughtered back in 2008, thanks to President Bush & his folks on Wall Street.]  Luckily, I have Social Security & my L'Oreal pension, income neither of which Mitt Romney will ever need.

I guess if I had income of over 28 million dollars for each of the last two years -- just from investments -- as well as paying income tax of less than 15%, I might be tempted to run for President too, just as Mitt has been doing for the last decade.

Even with my "fixed  income", I still find ways to make some extra money now & then.  Just today I did a small job -- took just over an hour -- & made $162.00.  That's a nice hourly rate.  Who says there are no good paying jobs ??

Today was the day I counted & wrapped the "spare change" jars.

I never leave the house with loose change.  I carry folding money only when I leave to go someplace.  Any coins I get while shopping are deposited in two jars near the entrance to my home when I return; one jar for pennies & the other jar for "silver".

 I have several "funnels" which are calibrated for each size coin & the correct amount in the wrapper. The funnels make the process go quickly & help increase that per-hour pay rate.

 Of course, as with any "job", good co-workers are always a value.  Luckily, I have several "helpers", who often act as supervisors, and/or, "BOSSES".

 Today, when finished, almost all the coins had been wrapped & rolled, & only an hour of my life was taken up by the process.  Fair return.

All packed up & ready to carry to the bank tomorrow in England, Arkansas, where I'll put the $$ in my savings account, since like most of the Republicans running for President ... I don't have a job either.

2012: A YEAR OF CHANGES

Here it is.  2012 has arrived.  It's a year of changes for me; the major one being I turn 65 in April.  Since it is almost mid-January, that means I'm about 64 & 3/4's ... right now.

This upcoming milestone age would not be too bad if it was just me, my Mother & a few friends who knew I was about to turn 65.  What I can gather from all the mail & phone calls I started receiving last Fall, my upcoming birthday is creating quite a stir & has the attention of many companies & individuals.  They sure are spending a lot of time, effort & money to get my attention & contact me.

I'm keeping all of the mail I've received in several folders in my large file cabinet. [Thanks again, Kelly]  Some of the companies writing me have done so several times. You would think the Postal Service would be running a profit thanks just to me & my address.  It sure makes me feel wanted & important to open up my mail box each day.

The reason for all this mail is because I will be eligible for Medicare come April.  Despite what many politicians want to do with the government run health care program, there is an industry out there wanting to educate me on the different forms of Medicare & -- naturally -- want me to buy their supplement programs (read that "extra insurance) to cover (potential) medical expenses which Medicare does not pay for.

I'm getting mail from companies I have never heard of.  Also, I'm getting mail -- & repeat mail -- from all the "major" insurance companies.  I've even received lots of letters of information & inducement from the company charging me an arm & a leg each month for my current medical insurance. [ The same company which UPPED my premium BEFORE they would pay ANYof my expenses incurred for my heart surgery.  As if I'd ever do business with them again.  One advantage right away of having Medicare will be informing my current health insurance provider I am cancelling them !!]

Since I receive Social Security payments each month, Uncle Sam knows all about me already.  Receiving Medicare at age 65 is automatic.  I didn't have to call any phone numbers ... visit any web sites ... write any letters.  I've already received my Medicare card -- yes, it too came in the mail --& I'm "good to go" & covered by Medicare come April 1st.

Of course, as most of the letters & packages I have been receiving point out; Medicare doesn't pay for everything.  That's were the "Supplement Insurance" comes into play & thus all the interest in me by the various -- & numerous -- insurance companies sending me mail. [I guess Uncle Sam told them too I was coming up on age 65.]

While I will say some -- not all -- of the information I received in this volume of mail has proven very helpful in understanding what Medicare does & doesn't do, & thus what it pays for & doesn't pay for, the companies can stop sending me their mailings. [Got three more letters/cards in today's mail.]  I've already purchased a policy of supplemental insurance to cover the (many) medical items Medicare does not cover. [I won't bother you with those details.  Why spoil all the intrigue my readers will have when their time comes & they try to figure out all the options involved with the different parts of Medicare.  Have fun !!]

Bottom line:  Initially I will save a good amount of money each month just for the Medicare premium.  Add to that, not having the expenses of "deductibles" &/or "co-pays" when I need to visit the doctor, or go to the hospital, will be great. Anything to save money & make life easier.

The above are certainly changes I am looking forward to in 2012.

THINGS I HATE -- #2

Years ago, the late Andy Warhol made a lasting comment, something like ... "Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes".  I guess he was making note of the increasing number of people becoming "celebrities".  Poor Andy was way off base in his prediction.  If he were alive today, his thoughts might be a bit more like .... "Everyone will be famous ... for NOTHING".

Claiming my age, I have lived long enough to remember when people were well known -- & "famous" -- for doing ... SOMETHING.  Be they movie stars, athletes, war hero's, etc., people had to accomplish something worth wild to be well know.  Very few people we admired did not get our respect & admiration overnight.  They earned it. Certainly they were not "famous" for being on a "reality TV show".

Nowadays there are too many TV channels needing "content", with the shows being offered all seeming to be off-shoots of they same trash TV. There are too many magazines -- along with Internet sites -- all seeming to create "STARS" out of people with no talent, or people being highlighted for doing things once thought of as ... "taboo". [Consider MTV's "16 & PREGNANT"]

What is it in the USA -- & for that matter, the world -- when "entertainment" is a bunch of drunk, illiterate people in New Jersey, "Housewives" in almost any major city & a bunch of Kardashian media-whores that have "fans" who follow & idolize them ??  FOR WHAT ??!!

We are in a real time of the "Dumbing Down of America". Something is really wrong & it's a slippery slope path our future is traveling on.

I don't watch ANY TV having to do with "reality shows".  They are not ... "real".  There are cameramen, someone with a microphone & a producer following a script.  How many times do they film several "takes" to get the right sound & lighting ??  "Reality" my a** !!!

One of the biggest offenders of this total mess is the magazine US WEEKLY.  I HATE THIS MAGAZINE.

The word most often used in articles is "Star". Somehow ... everyone pictured, in every issue of this magazine, is a "Star".  "Star" of what or why ... I don't know.  I probably recognize less than half the people featured in the magazine & have no idea why they are in the magazine, or why they should be. I guess because they are ... "Stars".

I HATE this magazine & it only serves to make me hostile towards the "Stars" featured.  Why are they written about & what have they truly accomplished to gain our admiration??  Well, they are not getting mine.  No way.  It's a rotten magazine. The people who write the articles -- many I believe contain falsehoods -- should get REAL JOBS !!

I wonder who -- & what garbage -- will be featured in this week's issue of US WEEKLY ??  My subscription usually comes on Tuesdays.

BETTER THAN A GIRLFRIEND

This will will probably be my last blog posting for 2011. With year 2012 only a few hours away, I end this year, not with resolutions, but reflections of many years ago.

My memories of life are that I have always been somewhat of a "nester" when it comes to where I lived.  In my youth -- at least through the end of high school -- my family lived the majority of the time in only two places: Rochester, New York & then in Honeoye, New York.  Always in the same house in each town.  No moving.  "Nested". 

I went off to college & spent two years in Utica, New York.  I lived in an apartment & later in an on-campus dormitory.  I guess -- living in two places in two years -- would be my "non-nesting" phase.  It didn't stick.

In 1967 I ventured down to Memphis, Tennessee.  The main reason was to continue my education, but the secondary -- & also important reason -- was to keep my "deferment" from the then military draft.  There was the very unpopular Vietnam War on-going at the time & being in college kept me out of the hands of Uncle Sam.

Two moves later -- to apartments, along with a "wife" who was soon gone -- had me again "nesting" throughout my 29+ years in Tennessee. The apartment stretched for 11 years & the condo which followed, was 17 years. True "nesting".

Now I am 15+ years living in Arkansas.  It will officially be 16 years at this location come September, 2012.  Again, once I "move" ... I then stay put.  "Nested".

I was never a "job hopper" either.  I stayed with Maybelline for almost 34 years & another two & a half years with Caboodles Cosmetics. I like things to be familiar, comfortable & manageable.  My job & my home.

Since 1969 -- which is as best I can figure/remember -- one thing has followed me & been with me.  It's the large "desk" in my home office. [Actually it's not really a desk.  More like a library table.]  I bought it at a used office furniture store in downtown Memphis for $20.00.  It was money well spent.  I've certainly got my value out of it.

The desk is six foot long & almost three feet wide.  It has a good amount of surface space for all kinds of projects & writing, as well as a large area to share with cats & several hundred pens & markers.

I should note that I was once "forced" to give the desk away to a co-worker.  I was on the losing end of a relationship where my wife had better uses for "the space" the desk occupied in our apartment. Luckily for me, I got rid of the wife & the new owner of the desk, got rid of a husband.  I jumped at the chance to get the desk back. [See.  Good things do happen when couples split up. (I hope Katy Perry is reading this.  Call me !!)]

Somehow this one piece of furniture has been with me for the past 43 years.  Not too many other objects -- or even people (well ... maybe Weiner counts for "time served") -- have been with me all this time.  It's a bit strange to reflect on the fact, but to the credit of the desk, it has stood firm & fast & provided me daily support whenever I have needed it. I've been in relationships which didn't even come close to all those attributes.  The desk is BETTER than a girlfriend !!

THINGS I HATE -- #1

I have strong opinions on a lot of subjects.  Not that I am smarter or more knowledgeable than other people, it's just that in a number of areas I don't go along, or get along, with the habits of my fellow human beings.  This ill-regard for many of the happenings in every day life, "caused" by other people, may be a defining reason why I live alone & have had no serious love interest in my life for many years. 

I guess I just hate ... people.  Well, that's kind of strong, either to write or to say.  It's more like I don't do a lot of things other people do & I don't think like most people either.  I'm probably turning into one of those curmudgeonly old men.

Now I know everyone has "issues" with various happenings in the world & no person really agrees with EVERYTHING going on around them, be it at their job, their relationships, political affiliations, etc.  I think we all agree, we disagree.  I am just more opinionated about ... "the little things".

I thought I would attempt to cleanse myself of some of the items I encounter in my life which more or less get me ... "steamed".  These occurrences may result in nothing more than me cursing under my breath ... or ... may find me confronting someone about something they did, realizing I might get my nose flattened in doing so.

I plan on writing about some of my "dislikes" -- which is a better word than HATE -- so I can "share" these thoughts & maybe find others who have similar feelings.  I'll start today with one of my pet peeves:  Shopping Carts Left Unattended In parking Lots.

The above photo -- taken at the local Sam's Club -- shows someone having used a shopping cart to take their purchases to their vehicle ... THEN NOT RETURNING THE CART !!  They just leave the cart in the parking lot & drive off.  It's the classic example -- which I also ... ah ... "dislike" -- of people having no consideration of their fellow man.  "Let someone else worry about it".

Yes ... whenever & wherever I shop ... if I use a shopping cart outside the store, I take it back to the store (Yes ... inside.) or, return it to one of the enclosed "cart returns".  That's why they have those & yet people find it requires too much effort to use them.

Most of my issues are the result of ... people.  But, since I have to share the world with them & I can only "limit" my interaction with others, I am always going to fuss & swear about ... things I hate.

SNOW VS. RAIN

All that rain we got on Sunday & Monday -- along with the resulting flooding -- had stopped by Monday afternoon.  Come Tuesday morning, the flooding on my property had reseeded. [Not so for other locations close to me, where the flooding was damaging, with standing H2O still & closed roads.  I was lucky.]

The cold front which pushed through the weekend rains did provide snow to the mix last night.  It's just added to the damp, chilling feeling which goes with the low temperatures & abundance of H2O.

While the above area was covered in H2O as of Monday, it is now looking quite different, with the creek having returned to ... ah ... "normal" ... which it really isn't, due to the addition of the snow.

As compared to another recent posting photo, the above shows how the snow can be covering the ground in some places & there be almost no snow in other areas.

As I write, it is getting brighter out my window, as the sun starts to penetrate the clouds. All the snow -- for now -- will soon be melted & gone.

AT LEAST IT IS NOT SNOW .... YET !!

Parts of the state of Arkansas are starting to feel the effects of the massive cold front coming down from our neighbors in the "Great White North". [Ah ... that's CANADA.]  I'm not sure if the snow/sleet associated with the cold front will make it to the central part of the state, but right now, such conditions might seem like an improvement from all the rain we have had in the past 36 hours or so.

Since Saturday night, the weather radar screens have been almost a solid green, if only dissected with the color yellow, indicating heavier rain.  This morning, the white & pink colors on radar now include the emergence of snow & sleet, respectively, into our forecast.

For the month of November, Arkansas received an all time record of over 14 inches of rain. December is not starting any better.  With the ground saturated with H2O from last month, the six or more inches of rain we have received since Saturday night has had no place to go.  The net result is all the streams & rivers are full, with many over their banks & flooding.  That's happening -- AGAIN -- on my property.

From my back lot, the photo above shows the culverts which act as one of the "bridges" across my creek, are once again under the flooding H2O.  Not quite as bad as two weeks ago, but still a mess.  Even after the H2O recedes -- usually in 24 hours or less -- the ground takes a long time to dry out.  Think mud on shoes/boots & cat paws.

The back lot has plenty of H2O on it & since the creek is full, the drainage is slow.  Another bridge -- this one NOT under H2O -- is in the upper left corner of the above photo, along with a pile of leaves & debris (look closely), which were removed just recently from the last rain.

And obviously, as shown above, the fire pit will not be hosting any fires for a few days at least.

One thing to be thankful for: if the temperatures had been in the low 30's or below, all this rain would have equaled about three feet of snow.  No thanks !!  I've lived through that many times in upstate New York & it is something I can do without !!