Looking back at my 2009

New Years is always a good time to reflect back at the past year. My 2009 was clearly divided in three phases: 1) The hunker down and make do phase while out of work from January to mid June; 2) Work long and hard while preparing for the long anticipated and planned move from mid June until about Halloween; and 3) Getting inured to Colorado Springs and being careful while still in transition the final two months of the year.

The focus of most of 2009, as had been the case in 2008 and much of 2007, was to finally get the hell of Cheyenne. This had been my purpose largely for many months and my seemingly sole goal and omnipresent obsession for 2009. Thankfully it was achieved. I can now say without any equivocacy that Cheyenne was about the most hapless and hopeless place I ever had this misfortune of residing in. One cannot understate whatsoever how horrible the weather is there and what the negative impact it has on most everyone one encounters, making them embittered, full of angst, and figuratively with deep pits and chips in their shoulders from their years of coping with that bleeping eternal wind ! This amazingly positive vicissitude of being able to leave there offsets everything else that occurred negatively in the year 2009. I cannot begin to state and explain how much I hated living there. Thank goodness those 34 months are done with !!!

There was one significant negative that occurred in 2009, and that was the demise and eventual loss of my truck, which had been part of my life since 1987. I still miss not seeing it as I leave to go out on my travels, adventures, or drudgery of my upcoming day. The replacement vehicle is a means to an end: getting to the point of being able to purchase another truck. Hopefully I can do that in 2010.

The first five and one-half months of 2009 saw me unemployed and largely in a static status. I had anticipated getting called back to work three months earlier than it actually would happen which left me broke and behind on regular monthly household expenses. It took about 5 weeks to get things back on track, but I exercised thrift and discipline to not let this challenge take away from achieving my goal. With the exception of my weekend trip in mid May to Houston to take in my niece Lindsey's graduation from Texas State University and spend some wonderful time with family, most of those months were spent in seclusion and solitude. The uncertainty compelled me to be very cautious with spending kept to a minimum and activity left to almost zero. The extreme hostile climate of Cheyenne and its nasty hostile climate with the never ending wind just perpetuated that lifestyle. I did see Todd about 3 times probably but really no one else during this time.

I did get the call back to work in early June and my first day back was the 15th. The timing could have been much better- either seriously much earlier, or perhaps about week later as I had agreed to tend my brother's dog Dave while he would travel to Southern California for vacation and fun with his family. Regrettably, I was not able to do that, and Dave passed away on 4 July. I was deeply saddened that I was unable to see the good old boy one last time and spend a little time with him before he passed. I held a deep hatred towards the plant manager for being ruthlessly selfish in not letting me start one week later with the passing of Dave. My hatred of some of the plant management fueled my passion to achieve my objective so I could get the hell of that job and city. The job was the same as it was in 2009 and I spent my often seemingly endless days mindlessly laboring in the oppressive heat in the facility and daydreaming about how much longer I would at this and what I had to do and achieve. I went until the first week of August without a vehicle which made transportation at times a challenge and hassle. But I made it through and survived. The four plus months of work went by as I labored without much respite and achieved my goals, allowing me to finally end it there on 16 October. After months of pain, particularly with my hands and wrists, the long march and ordeal there was done.

The challenge of a move was imposing in a sense, but I was fully confident and organized to get it accomplished efficiently and orderly. Pre-planning as usual was vital and I achieved all objectives largely in the planned time windows with the exception of the final end, disrupted by a major blizzard which kept the final departure delayed for three extra days the days before and over Halloween weekend. As I drove out of Cheyenne for a final time in early afternoon on Monday 2 November, I felt a strong sense of accomplishment, relief, and exhilaration.

Since then, I have settled in to my temporary residence at the Spruce Lodge in Colorado Springs just north of downtown. I have done some exploring of my new city and have gotten somewhat acclimated. After almost two months I am still positive and upbeat about making the change as the community has much more natural beauty, a much better climate, and greater accessibility to activities and locales that interest me. Had I stayed in Cheyenne I was headed for a repeat of last winter with little exception. Although the job hunt here is very challenging, the outlook is decidedly better than what it would have been in Cheyenne. I know I would have been laid off once again from the factory, this time about a month earlier in mid to late November with no prospects for work there. In Colorado Springs, there is reason for hope and optimism, and the environment, scenery, and climate help enormously to abet that; rather than in Cheyenne, where the bleak desolate prairie; the moribund and dying town; the hapless, bitter, and nasty people; and the eternally incessant hostile winds and harsh climate strongly reinforced my gloom, depression, and malaise to a perilous extent.

Thank goodness I got this relocation and move done in 2009 so I can move forward in 2010.

Happy 2010 .... as Frank Sinatra sang, "The Best is Yet to Come !" .....

Best of 2009:

1) Successfully completing the move and relocation to Colorado Springs.

2) Traveling to Houston to enjoy time with my sisters and their families and experiencing my eldest niece's college graduation.

3) Being able on a number of occasions to enjoy time with my nieces and their parents in Castle Rock

4) Getting increased opportunities to talk on the phone with my sisters, and also communicate through other technology like texting, internet email, and Facebook.

5) Reconnecting on an initial level with my brother Vince.

6) My great and rewarding friendships with Matt, Todd, and Brant, who all helped me out in so many little and big ways throughout the year on so many occasions. 2010 should even be better.

7) Being able to have a say about many different things, both personal and impersonal, near and far, and seriously and humorously with this blog, my other blogs, Facebook , and other internet sites.

8) Enjoying a pennant race through the summer with the Colorado Rockies, and a great Autumn 2oo9 with the Colorado Avalanche. I also enjoyed watching many other sporting events throughout the year.

9) Good food and beverages, both home and out on the town.

10) Still maintaining pretty good health, and having enough strength and stamina to all but fully move myself out a second story apartment in a matter of just over two weeks with no health consequences.

Worst of 2009:

1) Having to be in Cheyenne for ten months of the year; but it was a means to an end.

2) Getting older and realizing one's body is in a very slow decline.

3) The end of The White Knight, my 1978 Ford F-150 truck, in my life after over 22 years.

4) The very long stretches of joblessness; and when I did work, being at that horrible factory job with all its negatives, oppressive heat, stupid jackasses of people, regular hellishness, and the horrible pains I endured from working, starting with my hands and wrists almost always and elsewhere physically regularly and at times.

5) Not having the opportunity to take a bath for most of the year with only having a shower stall in my apartment ! That will change in '10 !

6) Seeing hated teams have success: New York Skankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Dead Wings, BYpew, TexASS, Dallass Cocaineboys, Ohio State, the evil satanic Lakers, and others.

7) The failure to see any change in achieving the progressive and economically just agenda in the year after the election of Obama and gains in Congress.

8) Continued economic collapse and hardship; travails and troubles for many citizens in our declining nation as well as elsewhere globally; environmental degradation and decline; and greed and manipulation of everything in the world by most corporations and their government lackeys and the braindead citizenry.

9) The passing of Dave the dog, a good friend who I always looked forward to seeing and playing ball with ....

10) My largely continuing isolation, solitude, and seclusion with its psychological and mental consequences that have to be always battled hard and struggled with. I may not like it, but it seems this is my fate and destiny for my coming years.

What I would like to accomplish in 2010:

1) Get another pickup truck.

2) Travel, including visits to my sisters and their families.

3) Go fishing in the mountains.

4) Get new eyeglasses, and maybe bifocal contact lenses.

5) Eat a couple of steaks, good seafood, and some meatloaf.

6) Be in a comfortable apartment that is more roomy than my last one.

7) Attend some Rockies and Sky Sox games.

8) Spend more time with HBL and his girls.

9) Attend some more movies, some concerts, and other things/events (in other words, get out more).

10) Do something, go somewhere that at this point is completely unexpected and unknown.


*****

Newly Released DVD Box Sets

The Oldies collections are from The Beatles (on a USB stick drive); Elvis Presley; Chuck Berry; Buddy Holly and The Crickets; and Woody Guthrie.

The Classic rock box sets are from AC/DC; Big Star; Creedence Clearwater Revival; the Southern California Sound of 1965-68; Neil Young; and Thee Midnighters.

The Jazz box sets are from Billie Holiday; Louis Armstrong; Medeski Martin and Wood; Miles Davis; Oscar Peterson; and my favorite, John Coltrane.

The Country selections are from Dolly Parton; as well as a collection of lost music recorded by Hank Williams that has been only recently released.

There are also some superb live performance collections that are being released for the holidays; as well some R&B collections; a folk music box set; some pop collections; and some unique special content in box sets.

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Box-sets/G1349

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Box-sets/Classic-rock/G1349,A5933

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Box-sets/Jazz/G1349,A5918

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Box-sets/Country/G1349,A5922

*****

13 Employment Growth Areas for 2010

I will probably be unsuccessful in acquiring employment in these closing three to four weeks of 2009, but 2010 is already showing signs of being better as the local economy here in this region has news of growth and increased opportunity ....

... from the THR 3 DEC edition of the Colorado Springs Gazette....

"Thirteen companies and organizations were honored Thursday by the Colorado Springs Regional Economic Development Corp. for moving to or expanding in Colorado Springs, with plans to hire more than 2,000 people during the next five years.

The 2,046 expected jobs pay an average annual salary of $39,345 and will generate an annual economic impact of $81.7 million, the EDC said. The incoming jobs more than offset 1,193 layoffs in the Springs so far this year. EDC’s goal is to attract employers that will create 2,400 jobs each year for those who are laid off or entering the job market.

“Things look even better in 2010,” EDC President Mike Kazmierski told about 200 business and civic leaders attending a luncheon Thursday at Cheyenne Mountain Resort honoring the 13 companies. “In this environment, the community has more than 20,000 people looking for job opportunities. We should remember that it is one job that makes a difference for those who are out of work, and we all know someone who needs a job right now.”

EDC also said an unnamed 14th employer will expand here and hire 500 but declined to identify the firm at its request, for competitive reasons.

The 13 employers include:

• Affiliated Computer Services Inc., which has hired 600 during the past four months to staff a new customer service center for an unidentified wireless carrier.

• Alliance Financial Partners, a residential and commercial real estate lender, which moved its headquarters last month from California and plans to hire 37 during the next four years.

• Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, which raises awareness about the homeless, poor and needy and moved its headquarters in July from Kansas City, Mo. It plans to employ six here during the next year.

• Billet Racing Products LLC, which designs, manufactures and distributes off-road and motorcycle parts, and moved its headquarters in September from Laguna Hills, Calif., and plans to hire 10 during the next year.

• CodeBaby Corp., a startup company that creates customized animated digital characters and plans to hire 500 during the next five years.

• Convergent Performance LLC, a consulting and training company specializing in aviation and other industries, which announced plans in October to move its headquarters from Tennessee and hire 30 during the next two years.

• FedEx Services Corp., which began work in June to expand its data center in northern Colorado Springs; the project is expected to be completed in late 2010 and expand the company’s local staff by 68 during the next two years.

• FirstSource Solutions Ltd., which announced plans in May to expand its customer service operation here and hire another 150 during the next two years. The company’s local center handles calls for Barclays PLC credit card operation.

• Hewlett-Packard Co., which will spend $260 million to build a new regional data center to serve its corporate and outside clients’ needs. The company will add 10 people here when the center is completed.

• Jabil Inc., which opened a design center in northern Colorado Springs in April for its computer-storage operations that will employ 15 within two years.

• NEK Advanced Securities Group Inc., which provides operations-related services to the federal government. NEK moved its headquarters in April from Albuquerque, N.M. and plans to hire 80 during the next three years.

• Ranch Hand Inc., which opened a warehouse, distribution and showroom here in February for heavy-duty after-market truck accessories, with plans to hire 10 during the next three years.

• Wild Pig Aerospace Inc., which manufactures small satellites and related systems and moved its headquarters in January from Virginia with plans to hire 30 during the next two years."

*****

Blog on Hiatus

At this time, this blog is on indefinite hiatus for a number of varying reasons.

Rockies, Diamondbacks Announce Tucson Spring Training Departure

Given the information in the last several months and before, these developments are not surprising. Pima County and Tucson dropped the ball on further modernizing their spring training facilities in the last several years while Phoenix and Maricopa County were, which is resulting in the departures.

Once the Chicago White Sox left Tucson after the 2008 Spring Training season, it was only a matter of time the other two remaining clubs would follow.

Any hopes of getting the Baltimore Orioles to depart Florida for Tucson in 2010 or 2011 have now all but ended. What the Tucson and Pima County officials need to do is put forth a plan to build state of the art facilities and fields that are the best in the game, and then work to attract four clubs from either the Phoenix area or Florida for spring training in 2013 or so. And then build it. Getting six clubs were be preferable, but that will be difficult. But it can be done with such clubs as Baltimore, Houston, St Louis, Milwaukee, Oakland, and Anaheim. If Tucson can construct facilities on a par with those at Camelback Ranch, Goodyear, Surprise, and Peoria, clubs will take look and consider relocating. Tucson is really a great place to be in March for baseball, and the pace of life is more relaxing than in Phoenix or in Florida.

But in the end, don't hold your breath for spring training to come back to Tucson anytime soon. And that is truly too bad and unfortunate.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2009/06/19/20090619spt-dbackstucson.html

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/297753

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12652566

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/297865

*****

2012: The Movie - Coming this November

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/2012-roland-emmerich.html

*****

Week in Review, 15 June to 21 June

This week marks the final week of Spring for the year 2009. Fortunately the weather continued to improve as the rainy cool pattern showed discernible signs of waning through the week. However, it did rain four of the six days, but 70 degrees or warmer temperatures were observed daily each day of the week.

Day/Date ......Hi...... Lo..... Avg..... +/-...... Precip

SUN 14  70  45  58  -3   T
MON 15  71  46  59  -3   0.04
TUE 16  73  46  60  -2   0.01
WED 17  75  52  64   2   0.12
THR 18  73  51  62   0   0.15
FRI 19  71  48  60  -2   T
SAT 20  70  54  62  -1   0.03
SUN 21  76  51  64  +1   0.22

I caught a ride over to the factory on WED 10 June from Brant's son Chad to do some paperwork prior to returning to work, and to place an announcement asking for help. I had hoped by placing an announcement in the employee lunchroom soliciting a ride to and from work would be a successful strategy, but alas it was not. I should have known better based on my prior judgment and opinions largely of my co-workers. So by Saturday 13 June I came to realize that I would have to get the truck running and use it to drive the 8 - 9 mile haul to the factory, at least temporarily until I could talk someone into helping me out. So I got the battery charged, tires inflated, fluids checked, and took it on a test ride on Sunday 14 June to the Walmart and post office which would be about an ten mile round trip. As expected performance was poor but marginally tolerable. I was able to get a few groceries and my mail, and I was able to get myself in a good position on food supplies to last me two weeks.

So Monday the 15th arrived, and I had trouble sleeping; I only got about six hours before waking for good around 4am. I had readied myself the prior evening and was able to get out the door before 6am for what used to be a 15 minute drive that very well could be twice to triple that amount with the poor running truck. It ended up being about 25 minutes or so, better than I thought as the vehicle performed a little stronger than anticipated.

My work shift is from 7am until 3:30pm with ten minute breaks at 9am and 1:30pm, and a lunch break of only 30 minutes from 11am to 11:30. I was re-assigned to the same supervisor as last summer and autumn, Steve Wolfe, an okay guy but a person who should probably doing something else with his life. He is in his mid 50s and a former USAF NCO. He is cold at times, and prohibits the crew from having the radio or any music on which has both its blessings (no rap garbage from the rabble) and drawbacks (no country, oldies, or classic rock). I was back doing the same job, wrapping windows with a clear film and placing them on carts as the last step in the manufacturing process prior to loading onto trucks for shipment. Some windows, primarily those going out to Home Depot stores, do not get wrapped, but Home Depot orders nine packs of various window sizes which are placed on pallets and then wrapped as an exception. Overall our team runs out between 325 and 400 windows during our shifts, sometimes more. The size of windows ranges from about 8" by 12", to monsters that are 20' long and sometimes 12" tall that weigh over 350 pounds with glass in them and more than a handfall. There is about 5 other employees in close proximity to me doing other steps in the process before the product is handed off to me, and about eight to ten others farther up the line involved in the early part of the process. The other personnel in the factory are working other production lines; involved in glass production, glazing, and cutting; truck loading; and other various tasks.

The turnover and change at the factory from when I was last there was rather remarkable. I only recognized about 5-6 individuals that I had worked with last summer. On-site staffing was reduced markedly, as only about 45 -50 people are working at the factory from what I can tell, about 30 % of what it was during last summer and into last autumn. And production is down about the same as orders from retailers and wholesalers are down by at least 2/3 if not more.

I talked to several other employees, including some that have close to a decade of service at the factory, and they all strongly feel the business is the slowest ever in memory, even more so than after the 9/11 World Trade Center Attacks and subsequent recession. The belief among these fellows is the factory will be running on a skeleton schedule. They think things will struggle along for the next four months or so, and then many will get laid off in early Autumn, late October at the latest. They also said there is a good chance the factory could get totally shutdown in early November and put in mothballs until late April or May of 2009. My guess would be in agreement with them after just a few days of seeing the current production and having a strong awareness of the local and national economy, in particular to how it relates to the product this factory manufactures.

I knew I would be in for a major physical adjustment going back to work after six months of relative inactivity. I was quite correct as I was beset with major muscle strains in my back, as well as significant pain in my quadriceps, calves, shoulders, arms, hands, and feet. Generally my therapeutic approach once I got home was a prolonged hot shower, followed by a lengthy period on my massager pad, and then massage on the afflicted areas with my massaging tools. I also took 1500 mg of Tylenol Arthritis tablets twice daily along with some baby aspirin (243 mg daily), and applied generous amounts of either Ben-Gay or Icy Hot to the surface of the afflicted areas. The treatment had only limited results as I was staggered with pain and stiffness through much of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday were the worst as I experienced excrutiating pain in my back which was quite pronounced as the day went along. Some improvement was seen as the week went along, and I am projecting I should be okay for the most part before July arrives.

I worked 8.2 hours on Monday; 9 hours on Tuesday; 6 hours on Wednesday; and 10.5 hours on Thursday. As for today, I, along with most of the rest of the crew, was given the day off as there was simply inadequate production demands for working a fifth day. I hope this isn't the case in the weeks ahead, as only getting 80 - 85 % of a full weeks pay is not conducive to meeting my goals.

And unfortunately one of those goals now means purchasing another vehicle. The truck survived Monday and the trip out to the factory on Tuesday morning, but not the return trip home. I was barely out of the factory on the connecting street when the White Knight died. A loud pop, almost an explosion occurred, and it stopped. Upon opening the hood, there was oil all over the engine compartment. Fortunately I had been successful in setting up a ride for the days and weeks ahead which would begin on Wednesday morning. And a kindly co-worker I was slightly acquainted with stopped with me on the side of the road with the dead truck and gave me a ride into the city to my apartment. Shortly after upon arriving, I called Brant and he came by later around 6:30pm and he towed the White Knight back to the street in front of the apartment.

In a way its a relief, as I was concerned about all the maintenance expenses looming not only with the transmission but also the kingpins and exhaust system. Combined I was probably looking at over $2K, maybe close to $3K, which was not a reasonable commitment to take on for a nearly 32 year vehicle. So I will get it emptied out of supplies and equipment in the coming weeks before having it towed off to the scrapyard. I can survive without a vehicle for the next couple of months with rides arranged for work and Brant helping me out a couple times a month to go to the grocery store. Hopefully within about two months or so I can find something in the area of $1500, preferably a truck - but not likely - that I can purchase and then cross my fingers it runs okay for the upcoming period of transition from Cheyenne to Colorado Springs in autumn and into the winter of '09-'10. I had my doubts the White Knight could ever pass a Colorado air cleanliness and pollution emissions test, so that is another reason why maybe this is best result when all is added up. Unfortunately the Cash for Clunker legislation enacted by Congress does not apply to vehicles that no longer run, but I know Hank will be able to use it as their Nissan needs only some stopgap repairs to get it moving to a dealership to take advantage of the federal deal. I wish I could figure out how to do the same thing but I all but know for sure the White Knight has made its final ride.


But its kind of sad to have one's 21 plus years transportation mainstay and partner go by the wayside and no longer be part of one's life. Its been a long road since 1987 when I lived in Phoenix when and where I bought the truck. A lot of things have happened in my life since then, as I live a lot of life and various adventures; I saw a lot of countryside in that truck while sitting behind the steering wheel, probably about 400,000 miles and every state west of the Mississippi in the Continental US except North Dakota. Over 22 years - that is better than two-thirds of my adult life. I will never have another vehicle again that lasts that long; it is certain I won't even last half that again, let alone another full 22 years.

Other than work, I mostly rested and struggled with the pain. I really did not watch much baseball, catching only a few innings of the Rockies' games Tuesday and Wednesday, and only watching the shortened recap/replay show which is fit into a half-hour for the the Thursday afternoon game. Other than that I was largely out of it for the last four days.

I did manage to talk the electric company during my lunch break on Wednesday into keeping my service running until I get paid on Friday 26 June. I also found out I am getting holiday pay for three - four holidays even though i was in layoff status. That should mean a bigger paycheck, but until I see it, I am not taking anything for granted. My goal for treating myself to something special is to be able to order a pizza for delivery for the upcoming MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday 14 July. By then the wolves will be away from the door for the most part.

So today, Friday 19 June, was a day at home. I awoke shortly after 7am after getting up before 5am the prior four days. I did some extensive internet surfing and work most of the day as I had not done much besides a minimal amount in the last four days with my fatigues and aches. It was a largely sunny day but cool as it just reached 70 degrees maybe. Around 5pm I walked over to the DQ. I did okay as all the therapy, rest, and day off allowed me to feel better. I had been sitting on a free coupon for a Blizzard for my birthday which was due to expire on Saturday, so I took advantage of it on the last day and got myself a Chocolate Blizzard. As the evening came on I started watching the Rockies game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and continued doing some writing and research on the internet. I think I will bake some potatoes for supper before 8pm, and then retire before 10pm.

Other than trying to get out to the grocery store over the weekend for a gallon of milk and five bananas for work next week, I am sure I will be staying in and resting, readying myself for another work week ahead. But the nice thing is that I get a paycheck at the end of this next one. And while I will not be spending it on anything but delinquent bills, it is the first step in a very long process ahead of meeting some important goals: getting new transportation and setting aside money so I can move away from here to Colorado Springs this autumn. But the possible reality of small paychecks and a layoff much sooner than would be ideal is endangering the dream of leaving here. I cannot quantify the chances, but today I would say it is only a little better than 50-50 I can get out of here in the next 12 months. There is no way I can really think about leaving without about $2000 in the bank in order to be prepared for the transition which will prove to be difficult. It would be too risky to do so on much less than that.

Only time will tell if I can execute my plan. I sure hope I can.

Saturday saw a cloudy cooler windy day with the constant threat of rain, although little if any fell by late afternoon. I awoke around 7:30am after a full night of restful sleep and I felt better and far less sore than in recent days. The wonders of Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and aspirin - not at all at once, but I was switching from one to another to find the most effective drug to relieve my pain, which Aleve or Advil is seemingly. I had some cereal as usual for breakfast and watched some programs on the History Channel during the morning while doing some reading on the internet.

Part of my routine in the last several months is to do several Sudoku puzzles on the internet sites of five newspapers: USA Today, The Denver Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. The USA Today has four different puzzles weekdays; The Denver Post has a daily Sudoku puzzle which keeps track of stats like completion and the time it takes to the puzzle as well as one's best times; The LA Times has a daily puzzle which is the hardest one to complete successfully; The NY Times had three Sudoku puzzles daily plus six KenKen puzzles; and the Washington Post has three soduku puzzles on weekdays including a Mega Sudoku puzzle which can take an hour or more to solve. Doing all these puzzles can fill up about an hour and a half of time on many days, but there are some days I can complete them all within 20 -25 minutes. Now that I am working again, I probably won't do all them as often as I have been.

Around noon, I decided to hike to the Safeway to get milk and bananas. I put on a backpack to carry back the items and set out for the one and a quarter mile or so walk each way. I wore my headphones radio and listened to oldies from AM950 from Denver while on the hike. The store is located east of my residence, and the weather today was favorable for a walk with the clouds and breezes. I also was feeling in pretty good shape after a week of work and felt my strength would be okay, which it was. While at the store I took some time and browsed through about ten different magazines, such as Atlantic, Harpers, US News & World Report, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Make, Psychology Today, and some college and pro football preview magazines. Since this hike went well, maybe I will walk up and get my mail next weekend. While walking back, I passed a parking lot where people place their vehicles for sale. There were about ten of them along there, and some were priced near or less than $1000. Seeing this gives me hope I might be able to get a vehicle within the next six weeks to two months.

Upon returning after being gone about 45 minutes to an hour, I tuned into the Saturday Afternoon Baseball Game of the Week on Fox between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets from the new Mets Field in Queens. The game was delayed a couple of times by rain and we were switched over to Milwaukee and Detroit. Around 3:30 I microwaved some chicken, prepared some gravy on the stove top, and microwaved some instant mashed potatoes for an early supper. Todd called me and we had a conversation for about 45 minutes around 6pm as I had not spoken to him since sometime in early May or perhaps even late April.

This evening I will watch the Rockies game against Pittsburgh and just relax, enjoying the cool air from the outside that is ventilating the unit. I probably will fade out around 9:30 pm, but I lasted until around 11pm.

I arose around 9am, had cereal for breakfast, and watched baseball all afternoon as the Boston Red Sox edged Atlanta with a walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th at Fenway; and the Colorado Rockies won yet again, completing a sweep of the Pirates to make it five straight, 16 of 17, and 18 of 23 since Jim Tracy took over as manager on Friday 29 May. This great run over the last three and a half weeks has put Colorado in the middle of the Wild Card race. Next up for the Rockies is a challenging nine game road trip to California with three game stops each in Anaheim, Oakland, and Los Angeles over the next ten days leading up to the Independence Day weekend holiday.

Sunday started out as a sunny day, but thunderstorms have reappeared yet again in mid-afternoon with good rain falling in the 4pm MDT hour. It will be partly to mostly cloudy until well into the evening as temperatures have dropped off from the mid 70s earlier to the current mid 60s. Today makes 60 of the last 91 days snow and/or rain has fallen here, and 19 of the 21 days in June so far.

For supper on Sunday evening, I fixed myself some macaroni noodles with spaghetti sauce, adding ground beef and peas & carrots to make it more filling. It is large enough to provide three meals. I will be watching the Angels - Dodgers game this evening along with a movie on ABC entitled Impact, a two parter which concludes next Sunday, a rather sizable gap I found to be unusual. I probably will be abed before 11pm.

A second week of work looms in hours once again, with the reward of a good paycheck at weeks end. The upcoming week will largely consist of work, rest, and watching baseball until Friday and next weekend, when I will get to pay bills, get the mail, go to the grocery store, and whatever else I figure out at that time. Once again, I would not be surprised to be off on FRI 26 June, but I would be more happy to get some hours in on that day, even if it were to be just a half day. Next week, I will get Friday 3 July off, but will be paid for it as a holiday. Hopefully I will get a largely full week of work before that holiday date. Then comes the long eight week haul of no breaks until Labor Day on the first Monday in September.

((((((((((())))))))) (((((((((((())))))))))))

The Top 100 Best Read Books of the Last Quarter Century

I am not much of a non-fiction reader, but there are few on this list that I have read, or more often than not, seen the film version. The ones I am familiar with through either of these two forms are in red.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

*****

Commemorating Flag Day 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_the_United_States

http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html

http://www.nationalflagday.com/default.asp

*****

Colorado Rockies Win Streak Reaches Ten Games

A lengthy win streak in early June is a great deal different than one in late September in the midst of a pennant race, but the ten game winning streak the Colorado Rockies have achieved is nothing to dismiss.

Still there are differences. This current streak came when the club was buried 12 games under .500, and despite the winning streak, they are still are under .500. While the future shows more promise than just ten days ago, there is still a lot of ball to play and a difficult challenging schedule ahead. And the National League West flag seems already firmly in the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a club who is arguably among the best in the game and one of the favorites to win it all.

The remarkable thing is now the Rockies are just 3 1/2 games out of the wild card spot lead, as any chances of catching Los Angeles in the NL West are probably fanciful. The wild card is certainly within reach with so much of the season remaining, and if the club can just play consistently by winning home series and largely breaking even on the road, they will be just fine and be a contender when Labor Day arrives.

But the horrible club we saw in April and May is still capable of returning, and the offense still leaves much to be desired compared to historical Rockies clubs. The starting pitching has shined in the last ten days, but can this be maintained in the coming weeks and months ? History says no. And the bullpen is nothing to get excited about at all, and while historically it does improve as the season goes along and the weather warms up, the bullpen still needs to prove it can do the job night in and night out, day in and day, to win fans, writers, and pundits over.

Still, interim Manager Jim Tracy seems to have changed the mindset of the players in the clubhouse and on the field, and the confidence and intensity being seen daily since he took over which was all but absent prior to his succession is a tribute to his leadership and managerial abilities and skills. If this club finishes strong and continues to overachieve, Tracy could be under consideration for a Manager of the Year Award and a contract extension.

I am enjoying the winning streak, and quite happy about, but any exuberance comparable to the great run in late September '07 on the way to the National League pennant is all but missing. I just cannot buy into the success of the club to that extent just yet.

The Major League Baseball All - Star Game is one month from today, on Tuesday 14 June in St Louis. If the Rockies are at .500 or above it at that point, then I will start building my optimism for the second half of the season and grow more hopeful as success is built on in the following weeks.

Until then, I am pleased but cautious. Not a fanatic, but a follower. Stranger things have happened in baseball history - see 1914, 1951, 1964, 1969, 1993, 1995, 2004, and 2007.

*****

Continuing to be Spared from the Hangman's Noose from the Gallows for a Little While Longer

As of 5:00 am MDT Monday 15 June, this blogger's internet connection still remains active, but the end is likely near within hours. Given the anticipated income from my soon to resume employment, it would seem that an internet connection will not be re-established until after Independence Day, 4 July, and it possibly may not possibly be until 11 July or after given the magnitude of delinquent financial obligations I am facing: Two months rent after 1 July for $860; cable/internet for $270; cellular phone service for $135; and electricity in excess of $200.

It will take four weeks of fulltime pay to knock down all that debt as well as replenish the food stock which will be next to bare once that first check comes in 15 days. I may not be eatiing some meals in those final days before that check eventuates. Being without electricity, internet, cable TV, and cellular phone service for much of all if not all of the next 30 days will be difficult and challenging, but there is no alternative to that scenario at this moment.

But at least there is some hope on the horizon, although the means to get it will be tiresome, boring, unfullfilling, and quite fatiguing. And more importantly, the winds of change that can propel me from my 30 month sentence of unhappiness in the wind tunnel of the continent may be offering that promise within 4 months or so. Maybe I can be out of here before the end of September, or October at the latest.

And this news about the recession perhaps coming to an end in September may be the icing on the cake for the planned timing of my move to Colorado Springs in early autumn.

But I remain much less optimistic about this at this point. I believe its halftime thats approaching, and the second half, starting later this year or early in 2010, will very well be far more vicious and savage.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/economic-outlook.htm

*****

The Best New Rock Group in Years: Chickenfoot

http://www.chickenfoot.us/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenfoot

Pittsburgh Penguins Win Third Stanley CuP

Friday night 12 June 2009 saw the Pittsburgh Penguins outlast the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, to capture the 2009 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs Finals and take possession of the historic Stanley Cup trophy for the third time in franchise history. Pittsburgh previously won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. This year's final matchup was a repeat of the one last spring in 2008 won by Detroit in six games, but it was clear both teams had undergone changes. The Penguins's championship cam after rallying from a deficit of two games to none, the first time that has happened since the Montreal Canadiens overcame the Chicago Blackhawks in the '71 Stanley Cup Finals; and only the fourth time in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history.

While Detroit may have taken a tiny step backwards due to aging and fatigue, the Penguins were a much improved club, particularly after a lackluster first half of the season where they were in the bottom third of the Eastern Conference Standings at times. The club made a coaching change, acquired a few key additions such as Bill Guerin, and then took off without stopping to capture the Cup. They had a small struggle with Philadelphia in the opening round of the playoffs, took seven to outlast a valiant Washington Capitals team in the semifinals, swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals, and took the full duration literally to survive Detroit. The Red Wings were only denied tying the game in the final second by a spectacular save by goalie Mark-Andre Fleury, who of all the Pittsburgh players showed the biggest improvement from last year's Cup Finals series.

Pittsburgh becomes the latest city to win two titles in different sports in a season, joining their brethren Steelers who won their sixth Super Bowl in January. Boston last pulled off this double win feat in '07-'08 as the Red Sox and Celtics won titles.

Many observers feel this Pittsburgh club has the right mix of young players and talent to win at least a couple more Stanley Cups in the coming years, perhaps challenging Edmonton in dominance as the Oilers won five Cups in seven years from 1984 - 1990.

For the Red Wings, this finals loss denied them a fifth Cup in 12 seasons, excluding the cancelled season of '04-'05. The Red Wings were last a Stanley Cup runnerup in 1994-95, losing to the New Jersey Devils in a four game sweep. The Wings' Cup wins in recent years came in '97, '98, '02, and last season in '08.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09164/977260-61.stm

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_629404.html

http://www.freep.com/article/20090612/COL01/90612091

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/richard_deitsch/06/12/red.wings.michigan/index.html

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12585239

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/9664058/Penguins-win-first-Cup-since-1992

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4255637

*****

Top 100 Songs from the 80s and Hair Nation

The Top 100 songs from the decade of the 1980s from Hair Nation:

1. "ROUND AND ROUND" - RATT
2. "GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS" - MOTLEY CRUE
3. "18 AND LIFE" - SKID ROW
4. "CHERRY PIE" - WARRANT
5. "NOBODY'S FOOL" - CINDERELLA
6. "METAL HEALTH" - QUIET RIOT
7. "FOOLIN" - DEF LEPPARD
8. "WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE" - GUNS N' ROSES
9. "STILL OF THE NIGHT" - WHITESNAKE
10. "ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE" - SCORPIONS
11. "UP ALL NIGHT" - SLAUGHTER
12. "TURN UP THE RADIO" - AUTOGRAPH
13. "DR. FEELGOOD" - MOTLEY CRUE
14. "I WANNA ROCK" - TWISTED SISTER
15. "EVERY ROSE HAS IT'S THORN" - POISON
16. "YOU'RE IN LOVE" - RATT
17. "IN MY DREAMS" - DOKKEN
18. "YOUTH GONE WILD" - SKID ROW
19. "CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE" - QUIET RIOT
20. "ROCK OF AGES" - DEF LEPPARD
21. "GYPSY ROAD" - CINDERELLA
22. "HOME SWEET HOME" - MOTLEY CRUE
23. "NO ONE LIKE YOU" - SCORPIONS
24. "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE" - BON JOVI
25. "BACK FOR MORE" - RATT
26. "WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT" - TWISTED SISTER
27. "TALK DIRTY TO ME" - POISON
28. "I REMEMBER YOU" - SKID ROW
29. "SWEET CHILD O' MINE" - GUNS N' ROSES
30. "HERE I GO AGAIN" - WHITESNAKE
31. "WILD SIDE" - MOTLEY CRUE
32. "PHOTOGRAPH" - DEF LEPPARD
33. "SHAKE ME" - CINDERELLA
34. "STILL LOVING YOU" - SCORPIONS
35. "LAY IT DOWN" - RATT
36. "HEADED FOR A HEARTBREAK" - WINGER
37. "RUNAWAY" - BON JOVI
38. "PARADISE CITY" - GUNS N' ROSES
39. "NOTHING BUT A GOOD TIME" - POISON
40. "MODERN DAY COWBOY" - TESLA
41. "SHOUT AT THE DEVIL" - MOTLEY CRUE
42. "INTO THE FIRE" - DOKKEN
43. "BRINGIN' ON THE HEARTBREAK" - DEF LEPPARD
44. "SOMEBODY SAVE ME" - CINDERELLA
45. "SLOW AN' EASY" - WHITESNAKE
46. "ROCK ME" - GREAT WHITE
47. "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" - WARRANT
48. "JET CITY WOMAN" - QUEENSRYCHE
49. "LOVIN' YOU IS A DIRTY JOB" - RATT
50. "FALLEN ANGEL" - POISON
51. "TOO YOUNG TO FALL IN LOVE" - MOTLEY CRUE
52. "LOVE SONG" - TESLA
53. "HEAVEN'S ON FIRE" - KISS
54. "TOO LATE FOR LOVE" - DEF LEPPARD
55. "SEVENTEEN" - WINGER
56. "DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT TILL IT'S GONE" - CINDERELLA
57. "POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME" - DEF LEPPARD
58. "ALONE AGAIN" - DOKKEN
59. "ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY" - GREAT WHITE
60. "LIVIN' ON A PRAYER" - BON JOVI
61. "FOOL FOR YOUR LOVING" - WHITESNAKE
62. "KICKSTART MY HEART" - MOTLEY CRUE
63. "I LOVE IT LOUD" - KISS
64. "HOUSE OF PAIN" - FASTER PUSSYCAT
65. "LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN" - POISON
66. "FLY TO THE ANGELS" - SLAUGHTER
67. "DOWN BOYS" - WARRANT
68. "COMING HOME" - CINDERELLA
69. "LITTLE SUZI" - TESLA
70. "DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES" - KIX
71. "FANTASY" - ALDO NOVA
72. "CLOSE MY EYES FOREVER" - LITA FORD/OZZY OSBOURNE
73. "HOLE HEARTED" - EXTREME
74. "SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN" - POISON
75. "YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME" - BON JOVI
76. "WAIT" - WHITE LION
77. "EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU" - UGLY KID JOE
78. "SAME OL' SITUATION (S.O.S.)" - MOTLEY CRUE
79. "NOVEMBER RAIN" - GUNS N' ROSES
80. "LICK IT UP" - KISS
81. "IS THIS LOVE" - WHITESNAKE
82. "SIGNS" - TESLA
83. "SILENT LUCIDITY" - QUEENSRYCHE
84. "BAD MEDICINE" - BON JOVI
85. "I WON'T FORGET YOU" - POISON
86. "KISS ME DEADLY" - LITA FORD
87. "HEAVEN" - WARRANT
88. "THE FINAL COUNTDOWN" - EUROPE
89. "CAT'S IN THE CRADLE" - UGLY KID JOE
90. "TO BE WITH YOU" - MR. BIG
91. "TEARS ARE FALLING" - KISS
92. "THE BALLAD OF JAYNE" - L.A. GUNS
93. "I WANT ACTION" - POISON
94. "WHEN THE CHILDREN CRY" - WHITE LION
95. "HUNGRY" - WINGER
96. "MORE THAN WORDS" - EXTREME
97. "NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY" - DANGER DANGER
98. "LOVE OF A LIFETIME" - FIREHOUSE
99. "WILD WORLD" - MR. BIG
100. "SMOOTH UP IN YA" - BULLETBOYS

*****

A New Hope for Spring Training in Tucson

Unfortunately, it may be too little too late. The odds are still strong Pima County will be without spring training baseball in 2011. And once it is gone, it seems probable it won't be coming back. Perhaps the next best hope would be MLB expansion to 32 teams, with the logical choices to be Portland and San Antonio. This probably won't happen until the mid - 2010's decade at the earliest.

But these two clubs along with 2-3 others could make Spring Training in the Tucson area a viable enterprise and success would be assured with 4-5 clubs operating in the county. The other 3 clubs that could consider Tucson would among be Baltimore, Houston, St Louis, Minnesota from the Grapefruit League; and Milwaukee, Oakland (soon to be either Sacramento or San Jose), and any of the current and former Tucson spring training denizens - Colorado, Arizona, and both Chicago clubs.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/springtraining/296589

*****

Bertie Higgins: "Bogie and Bacall"

Pittsburgh Post - Gazette: For Players, Game Seven "The Chance of a :Lifetime"

It may not replace words such as abracadabra, presto or hocus-pocus, but mention Game 7 for the Stanley Cup and something magical happens. Tough, bruising hockey players are transformed into little boys.

The Pens' Max Talbot, who grew up in LeMoyne, Quebec, dreamed about just such a moment when he and his pals got together for pickup games.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09162/976585-61.stm#ixzz0I7lwhxPa&C

*****

Would Be Nice, But I Still Need a Lot More Convincing...

Still Online, at Least for the Time Being...

We have made it to the morning of Tuesday 9 June and the internet connection is still up and running, but for how much longer is unknown.

Generally this writer is trying to provide a list of critical, interesting, and sometimes light hearted links on a daily basis in a regular column on the http://mountaintimezoneperspective.blogspot.com blog weekdays. In the coming several days to week and beyond, if two to three days go by without any columns with these links information, or another column, one can assume the internet connection is no longer available and maybe for an extended period of time due my personal financial circumstances becoming even more grievous. This particular blog one is reading from now is not usually updated daily, but posts should occur at least two to three times or more at a minimum weekly.

One caveat, however: if this writer does miraculously manage to acquire employment in the coming days to weeks, the workday may be of enough a length and result in fatigue which will prevent postings from occurring regularly. If this does become the case, this writer will place a note on this blog informing its readers of just such that case.

On this blog, I will make another update at the end of the day on TUE 9 June or early in the morning on WED 10 June. If no update appears, one can assume the hangman's noose for my internet connection has brought me down from the gallows.

For those in the know, the job interview on Monday left me with the impression I was not going to be hired for employment at that business. I may be incorrect, but one never knows...

*****

Nations I Would Like to Live In if The US Was To Go Bad

These are the 25 nations I would like to live in if the US was continue tanking and was to fail in an almost unimaginable way...

-1) Canada

-2) New Zealand

-3) Australia

-4) Dutch Antillies

-5) Bermuda and Bahamas

-6) Costa Rica

-7) Chile

-8) Argentina

-9) Britain

10) Iceland

11) Italy

12) Spain

13) Cayman Islands

14) Belize

15) Hong Kong

16) Norway

17) Switzerland

18) British West Indies

19) Uruguay

20) Ireland

21) Denmark

22) Sweden

23) Morocco

24) France

25) Japan

*****

Famous Old People Still Alive

Entertainers in RED; Sports in BLUE
Govt, Politics, Business, Religion in GREEN
Journalism in Purple; Writers/Cartoonists in Orange

Name Age Date of Birth Field
Ruby Muhammad 103 03/20/1906 Religion

Oscar Niemeyer 101 12/15/1907 Architecture

Claude Lévi-Strauss 100 11/28/1908 Science
George Beverly Shea 100 02/01/1909 Music
Miep Gies 100 02/15/1909 Other
Dolores Hope 100 05/27/1909 Music

Luise Rainer 99 01/12/1910 Entertainment

Gloria Stuart 98 07/04/1910 Entertainment
Ronald Neame 98 04/23/1911 Entertainment

John Wooden 97 10/14/1910 Sports
Mitch Miller 97 07/04/1911 Music
Karl Malden 97 03/22/1912 Entertainment

Art Linkletter 96 07/17/1912 Entertainment

Risë Stevens 95 06/11/1913 Music
Frances Reid 95 12/09/1913 Entertainment
Tony Martin 95 12/25/1913 Music
Lou Jacobi 95 12/28/1913 Entertainment
Kevin McCarthy 95 02/15/1914 Entertainment
Norman Borlaug 95 03/25/1914 Science
Budd Schulberg 95 03/27/1914 Literature,Entertain...

Irwin Corey 94 07/29/1914 Entertainment
Jack LaLanne 94 09/26/1914 Other
Martin Gardner 94 10/21/1914 Mathematics
Norman Lloyd 94 11/08/1914 Entertainment
Norman Wisdom 94 02/04/1915 Entertainment
Harry Morgan 94 04/10/1915 Entertainment
Paul Samuelson 94 05/15/1915 Economics
Herman Wouk 94 05/27/1915 Literature

Les Paul 93 06/09/1915 Music
David Rockefeller 93 06/12/1915 Business
Meinhardt Raabe 93 09/02/1915 Entertainment
Frank Cady 93 09/08/1915 Entertainment
Sargent Shriver 93 11/09/1915 Politics
Eli Wallach 93 12/07/1915 Entertainment
Barbara Billingsley 93 12/22/1915 Entertainment
Bruce Gordon 93 02/01/1916 Entertainment
Lucille Bliss 93 03/31/1916 Entertainment
Beverly Cleary 93 04/12/1916 Literature

Yitzhak Shamir 92 10/15/1915 Politics
Robert McNamara 92 06/09/1916 Politics
Olivia de Havilland 92 07/01/1916 Entertainment
Malcolm Toon 92 07/04/1916 Politics
Daniel Schorr 92 08/31/1916 Journalism
Mary Stewart 92 09/12/1916 Literature
Walter Cronkite 92 11/04/1916 Journalism
June Havoc 92 11/08/1916 Entertainment
Sherwood Schwartz 92 11/14/1916 Entertainment
Kirk Douglas 92 12/09/1916 Entertainment
Ernest Borgnine 92 01/24/1917 Entertainment
Zsa Zsa Gabor 92 02/06/1917 Entertainment
Vera Lynn 92 03/20/1917 Music
R.G. Armstrong 92 04/07/1917 Entertainment
Marvin Miller 92 04/14/1917 Labor Union
I. M. Pei 92 04/26/1917 Architecture
Celeste Holm 92 04/29/1917 Theater,Entertainment
George Gaynes 92 05/16/1917 Entertainment
Theodore Hesburgh 92 05/25/1917 Religion,Education
Kirk Kerkorian 92 06/06/1917 Business

C. Everett Koop 91 10/14/1916 Medicine,Politics
Lena Horne 91 06/30/1917 Music
Phyllis Diller 91 07/17/1917 Entertainment
Herbert Lom 91 09/11/1917 Entertainment
June Foray 91 09/18/1917 Entertainment
Joan Fontaine 91 10/22/1917 Entertainment
Lee McPhail 91 10/25/1917 Sports
Robert Byrd 91 11/20/1917 Politics
John Hart 91 12/13/1917 Entertainment
Oral Roberts 91 01/24/1918 Religion
Ernie Harwell 91 01/25/1918 Sports
John Forsythe 91 01/29/1918 Entertainment
Janet Waldo 91 02/04/1918 Entertainment
Allan Arbus 91 02/15/1918 Entertainment
Patty Andrews 91 02/16/1918 Music
Don Pardo 91 02/22/1918 Entertainment
Marian McPartland 91 03/20/1918 Music
Bobby Doerr 91 04/07/1918 Sports
Betty Ford 91 04/08/1918 Politics
Mike Wallace 91 05/09/1918 Journalism
Joseph Wiseman 91 05/15/1918 Entertainment,Theater
Yasuhiro Nakasone 91 05/27/1918 Politics

Abigail Van Buren 90 07/04/1918 Other
Nelson Mandela 90 07/18/1918 Politics
Marjorie Lord 90 07/26/1918 Entertainment
Helen Wagner 90 09/03/1918 Entertainment
Baby Peggy 90 10/26/1918 Entertainment
Bob Feller 90 11/03/1918 Sports
Billy Graham 90 11/07/1918 Religion
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. 90 11/30/1918 Entertainment
Helmut Schmidt 90 12/23/1918 Politics
Ahmed Ben Bella 90 12/25/1918 Politics
J.D. Salinger 90 01/01/1919 Literature
Giulio Andreotti 90 01/14/1919 Politics
Andy Rooney 90 01/14/1919 Journalism
Edwin Newman 90 01/25/1919 Journalism
Monte Irvin 90 02/25/1919 Sports
Jennifer Jones 90 03/02/1919 Entertainment
Lawrence Ferlinghetti 90 03/24/1919 Literature
Pete Seeger 90 05/03/1919 Music,Social Activism
Betty Garrett 90 05/23/1919 Entertainment

Richard Todd 89 06/11/1919 Entertainment
Gene Barry 89 06/14/1919 Entertainment
Louis Jourdan 89 06/19/1919 Entertainment
Al Molinaro 89 06/24/1919 Entertainment
Dino De Laurentiis 89 08/08/1919 Entertainment
Ralph Houk 89 08/09/1919 Sports
George Shearing 89 08/13/1919 Music
Kitty Wells 89 08/30/1919 Music
Doris Singleton 89 09/28/1919 Entertainment
Doris Lessing 89 10/22/1919 Literature
Mikhail Kalashnikov 89 11/10/1919 Inventing
Joseph Wapner 89 11/15/1919 Entertainment,Law
Anatoly Dobrynin 89 11/16/1919 Politics
Alan Young 89 11/19/1919 Entertainment
Frederik Pohl 89 11/26/1919 Literature
Sun Myung Moon 89 01/06/1920 Religion
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar 89 01/19/1920 Politics
Henry Heimlich 89 02/03/1920 Medicine
James Mitchell 89 02/29/1920 Entertainment
Eric Rohmer 89 04/04/1920 Entertainment
Ravi Shankar 89 04/07/1920 Music
Richard von Weizsäcker 89 04/15/1920 Politics
John Paul Stevens 89 04/20/1920 Law
Richard Adams 89 05/09/1920 Literature
Sid Melton 89 05/23/1920 Entertainment

Ray Harryhausen 88 06/29/1920 Entertainment
Juan Antonio Samaranch 88 07/17/1920 Sports
Sammy Lee 88 08/01/1920 Sports
P.D. James 88 08/03/1920 Literature
Helen Thomas 88 08/04/1920 Journalism
Maureen O'Hara 88 08/17/1920 Entertainment
Ray Bradbury 88 08/22/1920 Literature
Denton Cooley 88 08/22/1920 Medicine
Jim Leavelle 88 08/23/1920 Law Enforcement
G.D. Spradlin 88 08/31/1920 Entertainment
Mickey Rooney 88 09/23/1920 Entertainment
Jayne Meadows 88 09/27/1920 Entertainment
Nanette Fabray 88 10/27/1920 Entertainment
Dick Francis 88 10/31/1920 Literature
James J. Kilpatrick 88 11/01/1920 Journalism
Ann Rutherford 88 11/02/1920 Entertainment
Stan Musial 88 11/21/1920 Sports
Noel Neill 88 11/25/1920 Entertainment
Dave Brubeck 88 12/06/1920 Music
George Shultz 88 12/13/1920 Politics
Little Jimmy Dickens 88 12/19/1920 Music
Lou Harris 88 01/06/1921 Other
Howard Unruh 88 01/21/1921 Crime
Carol Channing 88 01/31/1921 Theater,Entertainment
Hugh Downs 88 02/14/1921 Journalism
Abe Vigoda 88 02/24/1921 Entertainment
Richard Wilbur 88 03/01/1921 Literature
Al Jaffee 88 03/13/1921 Cartooning/Comics
Neville Marriner 88 04/15/1921 Music
Barbara Hale 88 04/18/1921 Entertainment
Harry Carey, Jr. 88 05/16/1921 Entertainment
Hal David 88 05/25/1921 Music

Chris Economaki 87 10/15/1920 Sports
Leroy Neiman 87 06/08/1921 Art
Prince Philip 87 06/10/1921 Politics
Jane Russell 87 06/21/1921 Entertainment
Nancy Reagan 87 07/06/1921 Politics,Entertainment
Jake LaMotta 87 07/10/1921 Sports
Eunice Kennedy Shriver 87 07/10/1921 Other
John Glenn 87 07/18/1921 Exploration,Politics
Esther Williams 87 08/08/1921 Sports,Entertainment
Monty Hall 87 08/25/1921 Entertainment
Ben Bradlee 87 08/26/1921 Journalism
Angelo Dundee 87 08/30/1921 Sports
Art Clokey 87 10/21/1921 Entertainment
King Michael 87 10/25/1921 Politics
Phyllis Thaxter 87 11/20/1921 Entertainment
Deanna Durbin 87 12/04/1921 Entertainment
Ernest Hollings 87 01/01/1922 Politics
Army Archerd 87 01/13/1922 Entertainment
Luis Echeverría Álvarez 87 01/17/1922 Politics
Betty White 87 01/17/1922 Entertainment
Patrick Macnee 87 02/06/1922 Entertainment
Kathryn Grayson 87 02/09/1922 Entertainment
John Anderson 87 02/15/1922 Politics
Helen Gurley Brown 87 02/18/1922 Publishing,Literature
Steven Hill 87 02/24/1922 Entertainment
James Noble 87 03/05/1922 Entertainment
Carl Reiner 87 03/20/1922 Entertainment
Marty Allen 87 03/23/1922 Entertainment
Eileen Ford 87 03/25/1922 Fashion
Turhan Bey 87 03/30/1922 Entertainment
Gale Storm 87 04/05/1922 Entertainment
Michael Ansara 87 04/15/1922 Entertainment
Jack Klugman 87 04/27/1922 Entertainment
Bill Macy 87 05/18/1922 Entertainment
Kitty Kallen 87 05/25/1922 Music
Christopher Lee 87 05/27/1922 Entertainment

Eleanor Parker 86 06/26/1922 Entertainment
William Schallert 86 07/06/1922 Entertainment
Pierre Cardin 86 07/07/1922 Fashion
Leon Lederman 86 07/15/1922 Science
George McGovern 86 07/19/1922 Politics
Kay Starr 86 07/21/1922 Music
Mollie Sugden 86 07/21/1922 Entertainment
Blake Edwards 86 07/26/1922 Entertainmen
Norman Lear 86 07/27/1922 Entertainment
Henry Bloch 86 07/30/1922 Business
Paul Laxalt 86 08/02/1922 Politics
Melvin Laird 86 09/01/1922 Politics
Sid Caesar 86 09/08/1922 Entertainment
Lyndon LaRouche 86 09/08/1922 Politics
Jackie Cooper 86 09/15/1922 Entertainment
Janis Paige 86 09/16/1922 Entertainment,Theater
Carl Ballantine 86 09/27/1922 Entertainment
Lizabeth Scott 86 09/29/1922 Entertainment
Bil Keane 86 10/05/1922 Cartooning/Comics
Fyvush Finkel 86 10/09/1922 Entertainment
Ralph Kiner 86 10/27/1922 Sports
Norodom Sihanouk 86 10/31/1922 Politics
George Blake 86 11/11/1922 Espionage
Boutros Boutros-Ghali 86 11/14/1922 Politics
Joe Weider 86 11/29/1922 Sports,Publishing
Len Lesser 86 12/03/1922 Entertainment
Don Hewitt 86 12/14/1922 Journalism
Jim Wright 86 12/22/1922 Politics
Stan Lee 86 12/28/1922 Cartooning/Comics
Larry Storch 86 01/08/1923 Entertainment
Carroll Shelby 86 01/11/1923 Inventing
Lee Teng-hui 86 01/15/1923 Politics
Jean Stapleton 86 01/19/1923 Entertainment
Anne Jeffreys 86 01/26/1923 Entertainment
Red Schoendienst 86 02/02/1923 Sports
Liz Smith 86 02/02/1923 Entertainment
Conrad Bain 86 02/04/1923 Entertainment
Franco Zeffirelli 86 02/12/1923 Entertainment
Chuck Yeager 86 02/13/1923 Exploration,Military
Charles Durning 86 02/28/1923 Entertainment
Bob Michel 86 03/02/1923 Politics
Doc Watson 86 03/03/1923 Music
Ed McMahon 86 03/06/1923 Entertainment
Andy Granatelli 86 03/18/1923 Sports,Business
Bob Elliott 86 03/26/1923 Entertainment
Gloria Henry 86 04/02/1923 Entertainment
Jean Harris 86 04/27/1923 Crime
Ara Parseghian 86 05/21/1923 Sports
Roy Dotrice 86 05/26/1923 Entertainment
James Arness 86 05/26/1923 Entertainment
Henry Kissinger 86 05/27/1923 Politics

Jack Carter 85 06/24/1923 Entertainment
Wojciech Jaruzelski 85 07/06/1923 Military,Politics
Earl Hamner, Jr. 85 07/10/1923 Entertainment
Norma Zimmer 85 07/13/1923 Entertainment
Dale Robertson 85 07/14/1923 Entertainment
Bob Dole 85 07/22/1923 Politics
Jan Berenstain 85 07/26/1923 Literature
Stephanie Kwolek 85 07/31/1923 Inventing
Rhonda Fleming 85 08/10/1923 Entertainment
Rose Marie 85 08/15/1923 Entertainment
Shimon Peres 85 08/16/1923 Politics
Richard Attenborough 85 08/29/1923 Entertainment
Mort Walker 85 09/03/1923 Cartooning/Comics
Lee Kuan Yew 85 09/16/1923 Politics
William Windom 85 09/28/1923 Entertainment
Bum Phillips 85 09/29/1923 Sports
Glynis Johns 85 10/05/1923 Entertainment,Theater
Bobby Thomson 85 10/25/1923 Sports
Alice Coachman 85 11/09/1923 Sports
Ted Stevens 85 11/18/1923 Politics
Nadine Gordimer 85 11/20/1923 Literature
Arthur Hiller 85 11/22/1923 Entertainment
Stansfield Turner 85 12/01/1923 Politics
Harold Gould 85 12/10/1923 Entertainment
Bob Barker 85 12/12/1923 Entertainment
Freeman Dyson 85 12/15/1923 Science
Earl Scruggs 85 01/06/1924 Music
Ron Moody 85 01/08/1924 Entertainment
Slim Whitman 85 01/20/1924 Music
Rauf Denktash 85 01/26/1924 Politics
Gloria Vanderbilt 85 02/20/1924 Fashion
Robert Mugabe 85 02/21/1924 Politics
William Webster 85 03/06/1924 Politics,Law Enforce...
Allen Neuharth 85 03/22/1924 Journalism
Doris Day 85 04/03/1924 Entertainment
Stanley Donen 85 04/13/1924 Entertainment
Kenneth Kaunda 85 04/28/1924 Politics
Theodore Bikel 85 05/02/1924 Theater,Entertainment
Jack Whitaker 85 05/18/1924 Sports
Charles Aznavour 85 05/22/1924 Music,Entertainment

*****