SHORT: ELECTION PERSPECTIVES

 It wasn't long ago in this country where presidential candidates were scrutinized over marijuana use.  One candidate once admitted to smoking but "didn't inhale".  This year, the American people voted in a convicted felon to the White House.  There were numerous charges and indictments.  Trump even lost a civil sex case in Court.  None of this was enough to deter voters.  I am not shocked, but I am speechless.

The following are some good links on the subject and I will add more news links if I see good articles.:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/06/politics/what-happens-to-trump-criminal-cases/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/07/politics/trump-indictments-criminal-cases/

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/11/donald-trump-legal-cases-charges/675531/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2024/11/18/trump-white-house-sex-offender-registry-fact-check/76401307007/

SHORT: MARRIAGE

 I am glad I never settled down to get married and/or have children.

SHORTS

 Almost back to writing.

Some of my entries will be short posts.  They may be as short as a single sentence or up to a paragraph.  

Sometimes, I feel like writing an essay and sometimes I don't.

Sometimes, I may elaborate on an idea.

Sometimes, I won't.

BACK AGAIN

 I should be back writing again within a week.  A lot has gone down since 2022 and my mind is finally clear again to write and do my photography.

Hope I can make it interesting

THERE HAVE TO BE NAMES FOR THIS

I guess it all falls under "writer's block", but it is annoying.  There has to be a term for:

1.  Not being able to mix work energy with creative energy (not being able to write after working a 9-5 job).

2.  Having the words to write in your head and having them leave when you sit down to the computer or put a pen in your hand.

WRITING SOON

 I should be writing again very soon

I ALWAYS THINK OF THE WRONG THING (Part 2)

 Here in New York, the mask mandates are being relaxed.  With the exception of a few places (medical facilities, public transportation) you don't have to wear a face mask, though you are still encouraged to.  On the subway (public transportation), more and more folks are dropping the mask.

Nobody ever said that Covid is over and that we are post-pandemic.  In fact, it was announced in the news that there is another variant wave expected.

I  won't lie.  It pisses me off that people can't be more considerate when riding public transportation.    I try not to wish "get covid and die".   Relax, I don't wish it, but when I watch people walking maskless in public during a pandemic I momentarily hate them.

I ALWAYS THINK OF THE WRONG THING PART 1

I woke up a few minutes ago from taking a nap.  I almost never take naps but when I do take a snooze it helps me to isolate my thoughts and ideas, making it easier to write.  On any given day, I have so many different thoughts going on in my head I can't sit down and write..   If I do sit down, all my thoughts come up and I can'tg focus on any of them.

Today, I woke up from my nap and I have "Do that to me one more time", by The Captain and Tenille, in my head.  This is not uncommon because I actually liked them during the 1970s.  Toni Tenille was a good singer and the songs were easy on the ears.  I always thought it was cool that Tenille sang while "The Captain" (her husband at the time), would play the piano.

Ok, now the significance of this is.....I remember the two of them getting divorced while her husband (Daryl Dragon) was going through health issues.   When you read the Wikipedia page (not a great source) it appeared he was going through Parkinson's Disease, but it is not confirmed and it is Wikipedia.  He died a few years after the divorce was final.  To be honest, the divorce could have been for anything.  According to the page, Tennille mentions his lack of affection.  It doesn't matter, because she didn't really need a reason to file for divorce.  It just seems like the timing was bad as he was going through health problems during those last years.

I am almost certain that I will never get married.  Personally, I don't think people today get married for the right reason.  Years ago (and I mean decades) people got married and it seemed like they went through every trial and tribulation and stayed married until death did them apart.  Sometimes those Unions involved unexplained children. Today, in addition to people marrying for financial reasons, some only get together for romantic reasons and divorce when the romance dies out.

When I actually did  think about one day getting hitched, I never thought about marrying the best looking woman or marrying the lady who offered the best sex.  I thought that person old and less attractive and if I still loved them.  I thought about if I would be able to take care of her when she couldn't take care of herself.  I'd hate to get married, then become paralyzed then get divorced.

When I first heard about the Captain and Tennille story, I thought I would hate Toni Tennille, then I realized that I had no right to since I have no idea why they really got divorced.  I just know what I read.  For me, marriage is a lifelong obligation.  I don't want anyone to feel obligated to take care of me when I get old and sickly and I don't want to have to worry if I can trust my spouse to do the right thing when that time comes.

11 Years

 This week make 11 years since my dad passed away. As if it were yesterday I remember being on the express bus, going to see him, actually. It was raining that evening. about halfway there I got a call from the nursing home and the nurse told me he had a cardiac arrest. It happened right after dinner.  The nurse took him to get a shower and he just threw up. From there he was unconscious and they called the paramedics for him. Actually, they only told me he had a cardiac arrest. I found out the rest when I got up there.  The nursing staff wasn't certain which hospital they took him to (either Jacobi or Montefiore). I later found out it was Jacobi and that he died before he had gotten there.a

Not a day goes by where I don't think about him .

Quickie thought

I am glad I don't have kids, When I was a LOT younger I would think mostly about having a son. Today, I am ecstatic I am single. 

1/16/2019

 Today marks the third anniversary of my mother's death.  She passed away on January 16, 2019, in a hospital.  She just turned 91.

This year will make 11 years since my father passed away.  Naturally, I miss both of my parents, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog, I am glad they are both gone.

The world spent all of 2020 and 2021 in a pandemic.  We will probably spend all of 2022 and 2023 with the coronavirus.  Had either of my parents stayed alive I would be worried about them catching it.  If they had to be in a nursing facility, I wouldn't have seen them on top of being worried about the hundreds of people in that circle.  Had they stayed with me I would have had to take extra care of myself to avoid getting it and being sick myself or transmitting it to them.  Mom lived in Florida for a while.  In addition to how their republican governor handles the pandemic, I would have had to travel to the "sunshine state"  almost every month.

With the exception of the initial shock, I never trip off death.  As a Christian and a believer of God, I firmly believe everything is his will.  They both lived to be over 80,  plus I had a father for 46 years and a mother for over 50.  And I am humble enough to be grateful.

MASKS

 Authorities are now saying that we should be wearing the K95 or the N95 mask.  According to the reports, the cloth mask and the surgical mask are no good in dealing with the omicron variant.  I sense shenanigans.

According to the new guidelines, the K95 and the N95 filter out the virus better and they fit properly over your face and nose.   I have seen some flimsy cloth masks but the ones I have fit snugly over my nose and mouth and have no openings on the side.  Interestingly, the surgical masks, which they are saying is not as good as the K95 or N95, is supposedly better than the cloth.  Every surgical mask I have seen is open at the side.  So how is this safe, and how is this better than a cloth.

Even more interesting, it is hard to find the K95 or N95.  And according to what I have read, you can wash them twice.  So what are we supposed to do?

BP ISSUES

On the day I got my negative Covid result after having the Coronavirus, I found out I have hypertension.  During my past doctor appointments, my blood pressure had been running high, lik3 138/85.  On my last visit, it was like 150-85.  On 11/29 I went to my allergist to get my new covid test and while I was there they checked my blood pressure and it was 150/100 on the left arm and something similar on the right arm.  I hadn't experienced any headaches or dizziness so he wasn't overly concerned, however, he had me get in touch with my primary physician.  I saw him over a video visit and he prescribed me a low dose of Amlodipine.

That's not exactly the main reason for this post.

Last year at this time I didn't have a primary doctor and one of my resolutions (I forgot to list in the last post) was to get a primary physician..  I used to have one across the street from my apartment and they were a part of Montefiore's medical group, but I was dissatisfied with them a few years ago and never went back. During the pandemic, I got connected with NY Presbyterian virtual clinic and through that, got connected with a regular doctor. In fact, I had seen my new doctor just two months before the blood pressure incident.  He is great.  He is pleasant and doesn't seem like I am a bother.  The last two doctors I had with Montefiore were awful.  The first was a bossy female and the second was a cranky old guy. You have to be able to communicate with your doctor in order to get good results. My new guy asks questions and listens to my concerns.  He prescribed a medication, but a low dose and he had me monitor the pressure.

This brings me to the second point of this post.   While monitoring my blood pressure, I noticed it did go down while taking the Amlodipine.  The left arm was a little higher than the right one, but for the most part the higher arm was still under 140/80, for the most part.  I ate boiled plantain one evening and the blood pressure dropped even further to about 128/70.  A couple of days after NOT eating plantain and the pressure was close to 140/80.  Every time I ate the plantain the pressure dropped, so I have a feeling my diet definitely wasn't right and I wasn't eating enough potassium.  I improved my diet since mid-December by eating plantains and leafy vegetables  And no, I don't overdo it on the plantain.  I eat a whole one, maybe two depending on my meal.  I don't want to overdo it on sweet stuff.

OLD RESOLUTIONS AND NEW

 It's time to put out new New Years Resolutions and reflect on the old ones/.

Last year I had six resolutions and I can honestly say I didn't do great, but I didn't do badly:

1.  Eat better:  I didn't do horrible with this one.  Covid kept me from going out a lot and I have been sauteeing spinach, asparagus, and Brussel sprouts more.  I could have done better, but I did do, so I accomplished this one.

2.  Prepare to retire:  I have been working on this also.  I went to a seminar and I have been checking on my numbers to see if I am in fact ready to retire and even though you are never really ready to retire...I am ready to go in three years.  I accomplished this one.

3.  Lose weight:  FAIL.  Next.

4.  Visit four cities and one new place:  I went to Portland Maine, DC, Indianapolis, Philly, and Boston.  I went to Buffalo for the first time and even though I have been to Niagara Falls, Indianapolis and Boston before, briefly, I had not specifically visited any of them until 2021.  Accomplishment.

5.  Purge the apartment of some of this stuff.  There is stuff to go, but I did purge a significant amount.  Accomplishment

6.  Blog more:  I accomplished this...barely.

Overall, I give myself a C+ or B- for this year.  I set realistic goals and I accomplished them.  

This year, I am setting these resolutions to accomplish:

1.  Visit five cities, with one being new.

2.  Eat better.  I found out I have high blood pressure.  I am on a low dose prescription, but I also found that plantains have helped keep the pressure down, so I will do that plus up the veggies.  I am trying to keep in rotation spinach, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, plantains, broccoli, string beans and carrots.  At least one each meal.

3.  Exercise more

4.  Write more.

5. Set a retirement date and create post-retirement goals.

6.  Finally learn to drive.

7.  Renew license and passport