Weekend Escape

I just wrapped up an interesting and enjoyable 36 hour sojourn to visit with some of my relatives. My youngest sister LAC and her two daughters, A and S, came up from NM to spend a few days in the Denver area for a little vacation and to see me and my other two brothers and their families who live in the Denver metro area. I arrived in mid afternoon Saturday after a drive that was inconvenienced by accidents and highway construction that forced me to detour off I-25 to US Highway 287 from Fort Collins to Longmont adding about 30 minutes or more for the trip. This was after dealing with the seemingly endless highway construction on I-25 ongoing in Wyoming for the first seven miles of interstate entering into the state from Colorado. This project has been underway since at least April and seems far from completion. The northbound side of the highway has been obliterated and an entire new highway is being constructed. This results in traffic going in both ways sharing the regular two southbound lanes which is kind of unnerving with the speed and volume of traffic especially at night with mere pylons and a few feet separating the opposite going high-speed traffic from each other. There is no lighting along the stretch and no shoulders. I imagine I will have to deal with this for at least another three months or more. I believe this project probably should have been done in a different manner as the current process creates a great deal of peril and danger for all drivers. Highway construction is also is in high gear in Colorado with the eternal widening project of I-25 in southwest Weld County continuing with work occurring for most of the stretch from mile marker 245, the Mead exit, south to mile marker 235, the Erie exit. It appears that completion of this stretch will not occur until sometime later in 2009, and then the project moves north towards the Berthoud, Lyons, and Johnstown exits. This widening of 1-25 is supposed to continue north to Fort Collins exit 269 so about another decade of ongoing work will occur to finish to next 24 miles. I also had to deal with nighttime overtime work resurfacing the road near the south Loveland exit for about three miles which slowed my return trip home slightly. The entire weekend was very hot and mostly sunny until late afternoon with temperatures near or above 100 degrees throughout the region. Fortunately the White Knight ran well and gasoline was about a $ 60.00 expense.

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I got to west Lakewood near Golden where LAC had gotten their hotel room. I got myself a room for the night. We visited for a while and then headed south to visit youngest brother HBL and his family's home in Castle Rock. We had a nice feast of some treats we had purchased at the grocery store of bratwurst, potato salad, watermelon, strawberry shortcakes, chocolate cake, and iced tea. We also had pork chops but his barbecue cooker was broken so those never got prepared. Instead HBL went and got a couple of pizzas to add to the feast. The young nieces J and C were excited and elated to see their NM cousins and they all spent some fun time together. We visited and conversed for a few hours before heading back to the hotel around 10:30pm. After we returned to the hotel, I took advantage of the bathtub in the room and took about a 40 minute soak which was quite soothing, as I have not had this luxury in well over two years due to just having availability of showers all this time. I also got to sleep on a nice thick firm mattress which had its benefits as well.

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Sunday we started out in late morning with a simple breakfast at the hotel restaurant. After an hour walking through the Colorado Mills mall, we took a drive down West Colfax and almost made it to downtown Denver before having to turn back to meet up with HBL and his daughters coming up from Castle Rock. All the cousins spent a good three hours almost swimming in the hotel pool and having a lot of fun while LAC and myself enjoyed some good conversation. I also had some good discussions with HBL. As evening apporoached we decided on a place for dinner, and after some disagreements, we decided on a place not far at the Colorado Mills mall. Middle brother VML and his family joined us although youngest brother HBL had to take off with his girls. It was a nice meal although smokers made some moments unpleasant. We then carpooled and spent about an hour or so walking along the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver and taking a few short jaunts on the free Mall bus. We then returned to the hotel around 10pm and I headed home up I-25 for the one and one-half hour or so drive home and the very unpleasant thought of having to be at work at 6:30am for the start of another long hot week that was sure to bring me more pain and discomfort in my hands and wrists. As I feared, I was nowhere near being sleepy and did not retire for bed until after 2am. I tossed and turned and would get little if any sleep before having to get back up to start the workday. I know when I get home Monday afternoon I will do little but sleep and rest and deal with a body clock totally out of whack.

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All in all, it was a nice weekend with some enjoyable time with my sister and her daughters, as well as my other two brothers. Things never go perfect and there were some unsettling and disappointing moments, but it was not bad. I look forward to seeing my brothers again along with their families in the coming months and hope to travel to NM in late November to spend Thanksgiving with LAC and her family as well as my middle younger sister KVS and her family as well.

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Thanks to all for the nice weekend -- it was truly a nice escape.

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*****

Bill Clinton's Observations on the Growing "Splitism"

A recently released book entitled "The Big Sort" by Bill Bishop provides the backdrop for some comments made Saturday 12 July by former President Bill Clinton. The book details the growing divide among Americans and an increasing segregation evidently occurring based largely on public policy opinion, but also on class, income, wealth, race, culture, and other demographic factors. Clinton made his remarks to this growing development and expressed his alarm on the ramifications of such a direction. People seemingly are distancing themselves from others not like themselves. There are, of course, many, many individuals to the contrary in many places. Myself personally, I have little if anything in common with the other citizens living in Cheyenne and across Wyoming. I share very little of their political philosophy and opinions and often feel like a pariah when comparing my views and attitudes with most Wyomingians. I know the same is true perhaps even to a greater extent in regards to my youngest brother HBL and the citizens of Castle Rock, Douglas County, and the suburban Denver - Colorado metro area. I believe our two examples are reasons why we both are considering relocating to other parts of the nation where we believe there are more citizens who are similar to us in more ways, particularly when it comes to attitudes and opinions on a wide range of matters. Depending on one looks at this phenomena, one has to believe it will only continue and increase in the coming years. It appears the old motto, E pluribus unum, is all but dead in the US as we get further into the 21st century.
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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D91SJ6DO0&show_article=1
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http://www.amazon.com/Big-Sort-Clustering-Like-Minded-America/dp/
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http://www.thebigsort.com/home.php
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/books/review/Stossel-t.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
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*****

A Long Week of Work and Little Else

I had a long week of work wrap up Saturday night. Yes, due to the workload in the factory we had to work six days which totalled to about 55 hours which means a nice paycheck. But with all the work there is no time to enjoy or spend it in the coming weeks for the most part. This week marks the completion of the first week of an eight week stretch with little time off or a holiday. The next seven weeks will be long and at times feel like an ordeal, but it is nice to have this as compared to the alternative that I endured the first few months of the calendar year. Hopefully as the Autumn nears I will get some additional time to myself and have a chance to enjoy myself.

I also want to get started on the projects in the coming weeks and have most of them taken care of before we get too deep into October. Wednesday morning the 9th I did not get home until after 5:30 am and the sunrise was similar to this photo. After a relatively rainy May and June, July here along the Northern Front Range has been mostly sunny, hot, and dry with virtually no rainfall which has resulted in the prairie turning brown with little if any green left anywhere and the promise of it staying that way and worsening for the next 9 1/2 to 10 months.

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My hands and wrists continue to be quite painful and I have yet to come up with the ideal solution to deal with this. I do soak my hands and use my heated massager to try get relief but results are erratic at best and often unsatisfactory. I will just have to live with it but its not fun.

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Sunday will have me do the weekly grocery run and not much else. I need to some straightening up around the home but nothing major looms. I may go out and have something to eat; perhaps a nice Mexican dinner is something to consider as I have done that since last autumn.

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I have not heard from brother HBL since he completed his difficult summer seminar preparing him to teach at DPS. I know it was quite time consuming for him and had its difficulty and inconvenience, but hopefully the results and insuing news will be positive. I hope to get down to CR in the coming weeks and visit; perhaps my visit can occur simultaneously with a visit to him and his family from my sisters, but I have not heard if that is going to happen and when. It would be a nice event for the midsummer for all.

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Like the week just completed, I do not see much else happening for me other than just work and rest and the other basics in life. If next Saturday is free, maybe I will go see the new Batman movie if it is out and I think it will be.

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*****

Bobby Mercer, 1946 - 2008

Bobby Mercer was the post-Mickey Mantle symbol and heart of the New York Yankees when I was a boy in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although I was a Mets fan at the time, many of my friends, classmates, and neighbors were Yankees fans and adored Mercer, an Oklahoman like Mantle. The Yankees of that era were mediocre at best after a long run of championship successes and contention, and the first successes of the Steinbrenner era were still a few years away, but Mercer was always considered among the best AL outfielders during those down years in the Bronx. Mercer played hard and was a great role model and example for youth. He was the best Yankees player from 1969 to 1974. He was traded to San Francisco after the 1974 season and then moved on to the Chicago Cubs before returning to the Yankees in 1979. He later served as a broadcaster for the club for many years before he was stricken with brain cancer in '06 in the form of a malignant tumor. Although Mercer fought the disease vallantly, he was not able to overcome it. An underappreciated and unrecognized Yankee great to a large extent due to the stars on the club over the years, Mercer is survived by his wife of 42 years, Kay; two children, a brother, and five grandchildren.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/sports/baseball/13murcer.html?_r=1&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss&oref=slogin
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Murcer
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*****

My Independence Day Holiday Weekend

It was nice to have a three day weekend free of most worries. It was a nice break to have in light of the next eight weeks ahead being full of five day workweeks with overtime which will keep outside activities to a minimum somewhat. I had hoped to go to Castle Rock and spend the Fourth with my youngest brother and his family, but HBL put the kibosh on that idea quickly. I thus spent Friday largely at home resting and doing not much of anything. It was a hot day Friday across the Front Range and we reached the low 90s here in Cheyenne for the first time in '08. And Saturday would stay hot into midafternoon until a front came through and knocked the temperatures down into the low 7os for the remainder of the weekend.
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Saturday was much more active as I drove to Denver to meet up with Matt to attend the Rockies - Marlins game at Coors Field. The weather was cloudy with sporadic rain showers as we sat in the upper deck in the far right field stands above the bullpens. It was a good entertaining game with lots of runs and hits as Colorado prevailed, 12-6. Afterwards, Matt and I stopped at Sonic for a sandwich and flavored beverage as we enjoyed some good conversation. Then it was back home with arrival occuring around 12:30am. I did a little surfing before retiring. Sunday I slept in and it was one of the better sleeps I have had in the last few weeks as it was uninterrupted for close to ten hours. I have been taking increased regular dosage of ginger supplements which is starting to help address the pain in both my wrists and hands. I may have to start eating cinnamon and ginger toast more regularly to get additional substances into the system as ginger is an excellent anti-inflammatory which helps somewhat with the numbness, tingling, and sharp pain in my fingers, hands, wrists, lower arms, and elbows.
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Sunday brought another quiet afternoon at home enjoying some more baseball. Later I went to the grocery store to get some fruit and the newspapers. Sunday evening will find me at home certainly and involved in some odd tasks and chores around the place that require me attention. This upcoming week will be one limited to work and rest for the most part.
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*****

Bozo the Clown (Larry Harmon), 1925 - 2008

Larry Harmon was the individual who played the role of Bozo the Clown, a beloved childrens character for many for over 40 years. Others played the role in other markets as Harmon was the Bozo at WGN Chicago. Bozo was a fun happy character that was very positive and encouraging to young children and could be described as a role model. The playful innocence of Bozo is sadly missing for many children today as often children are exposed to harmful and dastardly characters like rap performers, athletes, wrestlers and death match brawlers, ultimate fighters, and video game characters to be role models for them. Although Harmon was not famous to many outside of his role, his contributions over the years are immeasureable. When I was a child, one of the toys we had was a Bozo the Clown Punching figure that stood about 4' in height, similar to the photo to the above right.
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhj-8BF2XnML69KPAiEQQkgECTRwD91N0V080-
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Harmon

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

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*****

Television 'viewership Increasingly Older Americans

This report is largely no surprise. As each generation emerges there is a new technology awaiting that they grasp and make a big part of their lives. In the last decade to fifteen years there has been an explosion of new technologies that more often than not primarily the younger generations embraced at the expense of older technologies. The internet, laptop computers, cellular telephones, the I-pod, and other exciting new products and services are just some of these technologies. Additionally, our society has markedly moved away from the lifestyle models that were dominant in prior decades such as the traditional 8-5 employment, holidays off, and weekends free of employment. In 2008 the US has moved strongly to a 24/7 workplace and culture, which is detrimental, among many other and more significant ways, to traditional television viewership creation and patterns of loyalty. The television programmers are vitally aware of this seachange occurring in viewership and are pulling out all the stops to try to bring in and keep younger viewers, which is the ultimately wanted clientele for advertisers and sponsors looking to sell and peddle products and services to demographics that lack brand loyalty, product biases, and wisdom and insight on what the medium is really all about. For the most part they are failing as the tidal wave of "reality shows" has largely failed. This trend of television being increasingly watched by largely an older viewership is likely to only strengthen and become a fixture for the most part. Networks, working under different rules than cable that control and limit their content, very well may be on the way out and could see their demise within two decades as the internet promises to be the video provider of information and entertainment for most in a growing fast paced way. Broadcasting is being replaced by narrowcasting, and the business model the networks have used for better than a half-century is in serious peril as corporations will likely migrate to this other media to expose their products and services to their desired demographic, leaving networks to become less significant and slowly die.

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988273.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

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*****

Completion of the First New Work Week

My first week at my new employment wrapped up early Saturday morning as the crew was kept until around 2:45 am on overtime to complete an order. Coupled with the overtime on Thursday night/Friday morning, the total came to about five hours. As the week went on I operated machinery that cut and formed the plastic fabrications in preparation for their construction into windows and patio doors, and another machine that heat sealed the finished product, cut away superfluous plastic residues, and cleaned up the final product in preparation for glass installation and shipment. The week went well although the warehouse was warm to hot at times and there was not always a fan to provide relief at every station I was at. The promise of nice paycheck makes it somewhat worth it in a big way.

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I did experience a recurrence of my carpal-tunnel syndrome issues in both wrists and hands and I worked in some pain for a time on Friday before it abated, but Saturday was a difficult day as I spent the day home dealing with the pain and trying different solutions to provide a remedy, but with mixed results. The best approach was soaking my hands and wrists in a bucket of hot water with epsom salts. I also tried massage, pain relief pills, and Ben-Gay, all with limited or short term success. Sunday went better as things got better. I got myself a carpal-tunnel wrist bandage and that seemed to bring relief along with increase dosages of Tylenol. I hope this is an intermittent problem at worst as the pain is liking have electricity going up one's hands, wrists, lower arm, and elbow. When the problem is going full, I cannot clinch my hand into a fist at all and only can get about half-way to a fist without serious pain; the hand and wrist are noticeably swollen; and there is a noticeable loss in strength in the hand as I cannot pick up anything that has any weight to beyond several pounds. And it wakes one up frequently with intense pain as one tries to get some sleep.

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I have had issues with carpal-tunnel syndrome going back to the 1980s when I was cutting pizzas with a big rocker blade knife; the problem continued into the 1990s in the same kind of work. When I worked at Anderson in 1997-99, my job included lifting heavy plastic totes filled with books and magazines that sometime weighed over 100 pounds. The syndrome was particularly harsh and painful and it was one of the considerations that compelled me to leave that employment despite my overall liking of the job otherwise. I will have to stay aware of the issues that may bring on the syndrome and its various levels of extremeness. Obviously I need to be very careful and conscious of activities that spur its presence, such as lifting heavy weights primarily with my arms and hands that do not require much help from the back and shoulders. I have even had smaller less intense versions of it keystroking on computers over the years and using a mouse. I hope its nothing to be really concerned about, but the fact that the syndrome made such a strong appearance in just my first week at my new employment is not something I am elated about. I will just have to take it day by day and see what happens.

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Late Sunday afternoon I finally got out and did some errands. I started with an ice cream treat at Baskin-Robbins with a coupon for two scoops (Rocky Road and America's Birthday Cake) for the price of one, although I was disappointed coffee ice cream was not on the menu at this time. I read my Sunday papers before heading to Walmart for a grocery run. I then went to the post office to mail the electric bill and check my box. I got a birthday card from the ever thoughtful second younger sister KVS and her family that included some nice gift cards. After I got home I did a little organizing of the pile on my desk and listened to some music on the stereo before catching some television which included a movie I had never seen before, Deep Rising. I finally went to bed around 2:30am.

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Anyway, this upcoming week is only a four day week with Friday, Independence Day, an off day and the start of a three-day weekend. The next one of these will not be until Monday 1 September, Labor Day. It is likely I will get some overtime in some of the next four days. If it is okay, I will probably go to Castle Rock Friday afternoon and spend the evening and Saturday with my brother and his family. Hopefully the weather will continue to be good and we can barbeque some goodies and enjoy some good company.

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*****

New Employment Goes Well

I finished up my second full day work earlier tonight and so far it is fine. The Jeld-Wen windows manufacturing plant is about 4 miles east of the interchange of I-80 and College Ave in SE Cheyenne. The factory has only been there several years and it looks to be a facility about 300.00o sq ft in size with ceilings a good 50' above the concrete floor surface and a dozen or so large doorways for truck loading access on both the north and south sides of the factory. I work with a crew of approximately 40 people. My job so far has consisted of assembly of various kinds of window frames and window sets. The frames are all a precast vinyl plastic material one sees in most construction nowadays. I have done work on frames both before and after the glass is installed. I have also done assembly of window sets which involves 2-4 pieces of the same or differing sizes. Assembly involves cutting off excess strips of plastic, removing cornices at the ends of the frames, attaching hardware to connect the pieces together and attaching mounting moulding to lock pieces together using a mallet. I use tin snips quite a bit as a tool to trim and cut plastic in the work. Its pretty full flowing work with little time to stop. One does get two ten minutes breaks and a one-half hour meal break midshift. The plant is largely out in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by wide open prairie for the most part in every direction with long vistas of visibility. That rules out going anywhere to get a snack or lunch, so I will be bringing mine everyday. Overall the work will be okay but it offers little promise of any kind of intellectual stimulation, but it is easier to deal with boredom and dull work when one is getting paid $11.50 per hour instead of just $7 or so per hour. I know in due time, perhaps by later in the autumn, that any novelty and challenge will largely be a thing of the past in this kind of work. It has always been this way in every kind of employment I have ever had -- mastery and the end of a challenge within 3-6 months of the commencing of the employment.

*****

Major League Baseball at the Season's Midpoint

Sunday 22 June marks the end of the thirteenth of the the twenty-six weeks of the Major League Baseball season. Every club has played between 74 and 78 games out of the regular season 162 game schedule. The All-Star game break is still three weeks away, but a check on how the season is going will be attempted here by yours truly.
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NL WEST
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The division is markedly weaker than expected, and it seems certain there will be no wild card team this year from the NL West as has been the case in the last few years. Arizona got off to a great start winning 28 of their first 44, but the Diamondbacks have fallen back to earth in the last five to six weeks, losing 21 of 32. The D-Backs stall has kept the other four teams in the division race despite all four clubs being under .500 and generally unimpressive for most of the season. LA did okay early, but has languished the last two months; San Francisco has over achieved but has yet to prove itself; and San Diego and the defending National League Champion Colorado Rockies have been major disappointments with both their pitching and offenses underperforming. This division should go down to the wire, and everyone but the Giants has a shot to still win it. I will go with Arizona by the slimmest of margins again.
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NL CENTRAL
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Chicago has established itself as the team to beat both in the division and in the National League. The Cubs seemingly have all the pieces in place to make some noise in the postseason and its likely they will be there as the Central champs. St Louis has played remarkably well and considerably better than expected as the Redbird pitching has been largely sparkling to go along with a steady and good offense. The Cardinals are a prohibitive favorite to be the NL wild card team. Milwaukee got out of the gate poorly but has picked it up in recent weeks and could very well emerge even further to give both the Cubs and Cards a run for the postseason with their offense and improving pitching. The other three clubs are done: Pittsburgh, who is improved and may stay near .500 through the remainder of the season; Houston, who had a good run early but has faded badly in recent weeks; and Cincinnati, who has failed to meet early expectations and looks to be lacking in most every aspect of the game. Chicago will be tough to beat, but it is not a sure thing as both the Cardinals and Brewers have more than enough to overtake the Cubs down the stretch.
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NL EAST
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Another woeful division for the most part, much like the NL West. The East is marginally better at best. Four clubs should stay in the race for the division flag for the most part down the stretch. Philadelphia has set the pace in recent weeks after overcoming a much better than expected start and pace setting by Florida. The Marlins are much better than forecast and couldd be a big surprise before all is decided. That being said, the Phillies still are the favorite with their offense and decent enough pitching. New York and Atlanta will stay close and could still win, but both seem to lack enough pitching to be able to take it all the way. Washington is dead and out of it, but at least fans will get to continue to enjoy the first season at the new Nationals Park.
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AL WEST
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Anaheim has played steadily and consistently over the season thus far, and barring injuries, should take the AL West flag and very well could have the best record in the American League. Oakland and Texas will stay within striking distance perhaps even into September, but the Athletics lack the offense and the Rangers lack the pitching to keep up with and overcome the Angels. Seattle is a giant disappointment and a disaster. Everything that could go wrong for the Mariners has gone wrong and the organization has already started to clean house and the movement of overpaid underperforming players is next. Seattle very well could lose 100 games, a startling reversal to the preseason aspirations of a postseason appearance for the Mariners.
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AL CENTRAL
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This is the weakest of the three American League divisions. Chicago has been at or near the top all season as the Chisox pitching has exceeded expectations. It is still anyones guess on who will take the division's pennant. Minnesota is better than expected, particularly with their pitching, but both Cleveland and Detroit have seriously underachieved. Both clubs have been below .5oo for all or most of the season as the Tigers' pitching has been atrocious and the Indians's offense has been often anemic. Both could rapidly rebound and surge into the division lead in a short period of time. Kansas City is improved, particularly their pitching, but the Royals are still a solid step behind the other four clubs in the division. In a shocker, look for the Twins to edge out the other three clubs and represent the division in the postseason.
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AL EAST
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This is baseball's best division clearly. The defending World Champion Boston Red Sox have been at or near the top of the division all season and should continue to with their strong mix of pitching, offense, and defense. Their experience should be enough to overcome the young upstart Tampa Bay Rays, who have surprised many with their successful great play all season. Tampa Bay has the personnel and strength to make the post season; its just a question of if all their youth can keep it going until the end. New York has had problems in all aspects of the game for much of the season, largely due to injury, lack of depth, and inadequate pitching, but the Yanks are playing better in recent weeks and will contend as usual for a postseason berth. Another notably surprising club is Baltimore as the young Orioles have played much better than anticipated and are staying in the running for the postseason. Counted on before the season as a sure loser of over 100 games, Baltimore has seen vast improvements in their pitching and a better than expected offensed in staying just below or above .500 all season. Toronto has to be a disappointment as the Jays were expected to contend for the division. Injuries and underperformances in both pitching and offense have been the Blue Jays' undoing, and there is little to suggest that the club will be able to reverse their direction that they have taken strongly enough to re-emerge as a contender for a postseason berth. Boston will win the AL East, and Tampa Bay will stun the Yankees to take the AL Wild Card.
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I like the Angels and Phillies in the World Series at this point, with the Twins and Brewers as my darkhorses.
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*****

The Future is Not Bright for Most Boomers

I figure I have only about seven to ten years at the most to continue to work, unless I get a desk job that is tolerable which seems all but impossible. It appears that there are many more individuals in my generation like me than I might suspect. These individuals lack any financial resources to live on beyond a very limited time (often it is paycheck to paycheck or slightly more), and will quickly become a burden on society. Like many aging boomers, I suspect I will need to move into subsidized senior housing within a decade and rely partly on public assistance for utilities and food. Social Security is not an option anytime soon as it not be until the year 2026 that I can tap into that resource. Even then, Social Security will probably pay only about $800 per month which will be far too little to allow myself to be self-sufficient. I may have to be involuntarily retired, but I will have to continue to strive to find employment that will be not be of a physical nature and that is flexible and not fulltime.
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I am hoping my health holds up for another 12 years plus as I simply cannot consider much beyond the bare basics for the rest of my life unless the Feds enact single payer universal health care. I suspect some more enlightened states will put this kind of health care program in place in the next few years, and I will look to possibly relocate to these states to take advantage of the increased presence of these kinds of social programs that benefit older individuals. I am in better shape than many in my peer generation from a health standpoint. It is somewhat interesting that over one-quarter and perhaps even over one-third of my generational peer group is in these circumstances, and I suspect the numbers will only increase in the coming years unless there is a huge seachange in public policy on every level goverment throughout the nation soon. The way things are going, one is probably better off kicking the bucket before age 60, and that very well may happen to me given my genetics, family history, lifestyle, outlook, and emotional and mental health. It seems inevitable for many boomers they will die largely prematurely as a far greater percentage have lived and done things that have longterm health and life ramifications and consequences than I ever did. That may be the logical and responsible thing to happen for many. Eventually, you have got to pay the piper for having had a life of no security and inadequate income on top of poor choices, shortcuts, drugs, booze, and unhealthy foods for many. Add in all the grim news on a macrolevel and it sounds even worse.
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http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/RetirementandWills/CreateaPlan/WillYoungestBoomersGoBroke.aspx ==
http://perotcharts.com/home/
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*****

George Carlin, 1937 - 2008

The world lost one of the giants of standup comedy today as George Carlin passed in Los Angeles. Carlin was a master of the spoken word and had an unmatched ability to entertain and enlighten by using simple words and phrases in ways that were quite thought provoking. Carlin gained fame in the early 1970s for his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television", all words that were strongly profane. I had the fortune and pleasure of attending a Carlin presentation in person twice during my life: once in Albuquerque at the Kiva Auditorium and once in Denver at the Comedy Works. I was able to also enjoy his provocative, irreverent, and insightful performances and observations many times on television, and I have long owned his 1972 album, Class Clown. Carlin was an accomplished and successful writer of many books that dealt with particular characteristics and hangups in American and Western culture and lifestyles, much as his live performances did. His take on the differences between baseball and football and how he explained it is timeless and pure genius. Carlin's first wife died in 1997; he is survived by his second wife and a daughter.
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A couple of his noteworthy quotes:
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"There's no present; There's only the recent past and immediate future."
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"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that"
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-carlin23-2008jun23,0,4144791.story
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlin
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http://www.georgecarlin.com/
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http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor7.shtml

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/George_Carlin
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http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/331953
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*****

The Weekend Before the Big New Change

I wrapped my employment time for the most part at the Wrangler on Saturday as I got two consecutive weeks of over 36 hours each to finish up which will help the transition. After I got off the full eight hour day of work, I enjoyed some Kentucky Fried Chicken. I only allow myself about two to three trips to KFC annually as the food is not very good for you despite it being wonderfully delicious. Particularly tasty is the cole slaw (I have yet to find better), the mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, the biscuits. The chicken is splendid too and largely unmatched. Popeyes Chicken is about the only other chicken I have found to be as good along with their sides. After the nice dinner, I retired to home and watched the Rockies game and later some movies before going to sleep around 11:30.

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Sunday was a day off and I had to get some projects done. After sleeping in, I finally got my digital television converter boxes as Monday was the deadline for me to use my $40 coupon cards I have had for about five months and have been sitting on. I had to purchase them at Circuit City as Walmart has never had them in stock in the last three months plus, which meant I had to spend a little more than I would have liked to and I also had to do business with the scumbag dirtbag Circuit City, who is the epitome of one of the most evil greedy corporations around. Later I made a grocery run for milk and fruit. Then it was on to the big project: laundry, which I have not done in several months. It took almost three hours from the time I started to gather everything up until I got home and folded and put it all away. I sure miss having a washer/dryer in my place; maybe I can find a small apartment sized unit to purchase later this year which will eliminate having to go out to do this task, which I always wait to do until I am out of key clothes like underwear and socks. I can get away with wearing clothes longer in winter months, but now that summer is here, that is much less of an option. And now that I am starting to work in a factory, I will probably get my clothes dirtier much faster and also perspire more which will mean putting on clean fresh clothes virtually every day. This probably means doing the laundry probably every one to two months depending on how fast and how dirty my clothes get and how fast I go through my inventory, which under easier circumstances can last for six months. One thing is for sure: I need to purchase about ten new 3XL V-neck undershirts, either white or in various colors, as my supply is not adequate and is also showing its age to some extent. The laundry session today cost me nearly $30 which is rather discomforting but a necessary evil until I can find an alternative. I finally got home around 8:45 pm and then relaxed for the remainder of evening although I did spend some time cleaning the bathroom floor before laying back down the newly laundered carpets.

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I have two projects to do in the early afternoon before going in at around 2:30 for my first full day on the new job: I have to purchase some Kevlar gloves for work at Grainger and make sure all my tires on the truck are at full inflation. I will make a report on what my job consists of and more after one of my few days is gotten through. This upcoming week I do not expect to do much other than work and rest and figure out how to time shift some television programming so I have something to watch that I want to watch when I get in after the night of labor.

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I do have Friday 4 July, Independence Day, to look forward as a day off and, if I feel financially comfortable, I will head down to Colorado and spend some time with my brother and his family if their schedule permits it. I may also go to a Rockies game with Matt although tickets may be not as easily available and as inexpensive with the holiday weekend and scheduled exhibitions of fireworks. If these plans do not pan out, I will just relax at home and maybe continue to strive to get my garage further organized.

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With summer here now, its high time I went and got an ice cream cone, and I need to get some watermelon and canteloupe to enjoy as it has been many months without those tasty mouthwatering fruits.

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*****

New Employment Nears

It took awhile for the process to go through completely, but at last I have have new employment. I start next Monday, 23 June, and will work weekdays from 3;30pm to at least midnight, but I have been told to expect overtime and plan on being at the factory until 3am or later some nights, if not most, for the coming months. The Jeld-Wen windows manufacturing factory is in far SE Cheyenne about eight miles away from my residence which will take about 12-15 minutes to drive to when the weather is good. Sure, its long hours but the financial payoff will be very good. With the overtime I can expect paychecks of around $650 and more weekly which is not much less than I have been making monthly at my current employment. I know that I will largely be working and sleeping many days but when time off does occur I can plan on doing something different than just staying home necessarily. It will be disappointing not to get to watch Rockies' baseball most nights, but maybe I can listen to the games on radio if it is permitted. I will have to starting recording TV shows that I will be unable to watch at their regularly scheduled airing time, I should have Saturdays and Sundays off most all the time, and the company gives holidays and paid days off for personal time and sickness. So Independence Day and Labor Days are upcoming days that I will not have to work. I have a number of expenses and projects that I will embark upon in July particularly in regards to paying some personal loans back, maintenance work on my truck, repair of my TV and desktop computers, and purchasing a new bed. I will keep my current employment as a side job and work on occasion there after I get used to the new job physically and get my body clock set. I may work 5-10 hours every week, but often I will work less or not at all there as their business allows. I hope to get down to Denver and Castle Rock in late July and at least once per month after that for some visits with my brother and his family, and baseball at the Keg, football at various venues, and hockey at the Can; plan for a trip to see my sisters and their families in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving; travel to Phoenix and Tucson or San Diego for a winter escape next March; and travel to Houston for my niece Lindsey's college graduation and to visit the oldest of my three sisters next May. Having a good paying employment will facilitate travel although I, like everybody but oil corporation executives and management, are highly displeased over gasoline fuel prices which will force some financial restraints and reduction in opportunities. The promise of better employment is helping me feel better and making me energetic. I got some housework and projects done around the apartment today that I had been vacillating on for quite some time due to low energy and a poor outlook. It seems one has two choices in this life for the most part: either money without spare time, or spare time without money. After a number of years of the latter, it will be nice to enjoy the former. The last time I made money like this would be in January of 2003. The promise of a new hope is about to become a reality.
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*****

Happy Birthday to My Youngest Sister

Warm and hearty Happy Birthday wishes are extended to my youngest sister, LAC. Although we live almost 600 miles apart from each other, I still manage to talk to her on the telephone every few months or more. She lives a good life and has much of the American Dream achieved. Her children are wonderful and with great promise and potential. I wish you, LAC, yet another year of happiness, contentment, success, joy, prosperity, luck, greater wisdom and insight, peace, and bliss. Enjoy some cake and ice cream !
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"I wish you a Happy Birthday
Across the miles, dear sister
I'm thinking of you as always
Today, special thoughts I'll send.
In my mind, I erase those miles
I hope everything good comes your way
My day would be grand and complete
If we could be together today.
Enjoy the ice cream and cake
Then as you blow the candles out
In my thoughts I'm there beside you
Friendship Love is what it's about.
Happy Birthday, dear Sister!"
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*****

Charlie Jones, 1930 - 2008

Charlie Jones had a long and distinguished legendary career as a sportscaster. I first remember hearing him on the air in 1969 as a broadcaster on NBC for American Football League games with his color partner George Ratterman or Al DeRogatis, often in the late afternoon game which would be my first exposure to the Denver Broncos. Jones later did NFL games for 28 seasons after the AFL-NFL merger, as well as major league baseball, USFL games, PGA Golf, Olympics sports, and, for four seasons starting in 1993, play-by-play on KWGN-2 as the television voice of the Colorado Rockies during the club's early seasons. He always brought a distinct voice to his craft and was full of enthusiasm and optimism during the games, even if they got one-sided. While Drew Goodman has done a fine job as the TV voice of the Rockies over the last decade, Jones was the original and set the standard.

His call of the final regular season game victory over San Francisco that clinched the wild card for the three year old Rockies in late September 1995 remains a strong memory of Rockies fans everywhere including yours truly, and his call of the first ever homeopening day win at Mile High Stadium is one for the ages that I got to hear only after the fact as I was there in the upper deck in left field and could only limited hear the game on the radio with 80,000 plus fans taking in the spectacle and event. Charlie Jones had started a blog in the last year to share his feelings, opinions, and memories. Jones leaves his wife, two children, and three grand-children.
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http://charliejonesonsports.blogspot.com/


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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jGBDZNoq4J0JP8H9G6EpCg3otkQQD919J8L01


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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/obituaries/20080614-9999-bn13jones.html


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http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/06/charlie-jones.html
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*****

Jim McKay, 1921 - 2008

Jim McKay, born James McManus, was the quintessential voice of American sports for better than two decades from the early 1960s well into the 1980s. McKay hosted the incomparable ABC Wide World of Sports program that introduced viewers to a range of sports often not covered by other media including newspapers. McKay broadcast many sports including golf, horse racing, auto racing, football, soccer, tennis, and many Olympic sports. McKay had his greatest moments and professional accomplishment among one of the world's greatest tragedies when he reported from the Munich Olympics in September 1972 while Palestinean terrorists kidnapped and murdered eleven Israeli athletes participating in the games. In an age where there was no internet or satellite/cable television, McKay was the sole voice for the better part of a day reporting on the shocking tragedy which was to be named the Munich Massacre. McKay was lifelong supporter and sponsor of horse racing, and he worked hard to assist the sport financially with publicity and promotion. McKay was also a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles in his later years. Jim McKay received numerous professional and journalistic honors and recognition during his long career. A great Sunday or Saturday when I was a youth was having the privilege of watching a sports program, with the ABC sports personnel in their mustard yellow sportcoats in which McKay was hosting or announcing, for a least a part of an hour if not longer. His hallmark words can be heard in the minds of many still to this day:
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"Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!"
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McKay leaves his wife, Margaret, a daughter, a son - Sean McManus, currently president of CBS Sports and News -, and three grandchildren.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McKay
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http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20080608_Philadelphia_native_Jim_McKay_dies_at_86.html
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-me-mckay8-2008jun08,0,4039195.story
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*****

Post Number 1000

This is the one thousandth post on my two public blogs and it has nothing to say. Expect post number 2000 in mid to late 2009.
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*****

Nothing But Adulterers, and Worse

The National Basketball Association is a subject that I have nothing but scorn and disgust for. This entity has clearly and broadly declined in all aspects in the last decade to two decades as the quality of players on issues of character and professionalism has reached lows in every way. There are virtually no white caucasian Americans in the sport. Among the more evident factors of the league's demise on the playing court and off include a strikingly poor quality of play; lack of fundamentals and teamwork; the emphasis on the individual with all the showing-off and hotdogging with no sportsmanship; the widespread poor character, misbehavior, immorality, and criminality displayed by players across the league; and the very image of the players themselves that openly encourages and supports criminal, immoral, abusive, and irresponsible behaviors and actions by impressionable children, teenagers, and young adults that follow the NBA on many levels. Management and ownership in the NBA are without souls and personify evil on a wide spectrum. The player that best exemplifies this disgusting trend is the rapist Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who several years ago used his wealth, power, and influence to stop the prosecution of a heinous ugly crime that he clearly committed, and then paid off the victim and all witnesses to further end the case and cease further discussion and investigation into it. This is among the most ugly and immoral distortions of the criminal justice system outside of from corporations and government officials ever. At least OJ Simpson stood trial for his crimes and only got off due to the arrogance, pride, greed, and blundering by police officials and attorneys from the Los Angeles District Attorneys Office. Bryant should be in the penitentary in Canon City about one-fifth of the way through his long sentence. The corruption and immorality of most of the players and management of this sports league is why I will never watch or follow this organization. Hopefully it will fail in due time. Satan and the anti-Christ indeed is clearly among us Americans and his name is Kobe Bryant.
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*****

Geddy Lee Makes a Tremendous Contribution

Geddy Lee, the renowned and longtime musician with the band Rush has made an extraordinary contribution of nearly 200 autographed baseballs to the Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, MO. Lee has been a lifelong baseball fan and often attends games, even while on tour with the band, and has a particular fondness for his hometown Toronto Blue Jays and the former Montreal Expos. Along with his bandmates Alex Lifeson and Neal Peart, the love of baseball runs deep as there have often been baseball references in the liner notes of their albums and CDs. The baseballs contributed contain autographs of many individuals, including former Negro League players who are now deceased. Museum officials call the donation one that is priceless and of significant historical importance. Once again, Rush proves to be greater people than even as they are a great band and fantastic musicians.
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http://www.kansascity.com/594/story/649383.html
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geddy_Lee
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http://www.nlbm.com/
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*****