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Family Uncategorized

Change

Yes, it has been several months since my last post. I admit that I am lazy. It isn’t the thought that I don’t have ideas to expound upon, or that I don’t have time. I am lazy, or at least that is what I said in a recent survey as I logged into to write this post.

Much of my life has changed since that last post. I still work but think more and more about retirement. Since that last post, I have taken two weeklong vacations, in what has been about three months. Oddly enough, both were trips back east. No procrastination there. Planned weeks, even months in advance, budgeted and paid for.

Daughter has been off to college now for a little over two months. That was some time away from work. Of course, we had to make some fun time for son so that he wasn’t left out of this life changing event for all of us. To accommodate this change, I assumed the morning duties for feeding the horses (soon to be only the horse, but more about that change in a moment). This didn’t cause a significant change in my schedule, as I was always awake early. Just less time to procrastinate getting ready for work.

Of course, son is now 16 and the fact that his older sister is not around, introduces change in his life and how he handles school, work around the house, etc.

My first trip was planned for late August through early September as a return trip to New Jersey. The purpose was to catch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing at the Meadowlands. And while I was there, connected with my friend from college and visited places that I checked out when I was there two years ago for Pearl Jam and the Sea Hear Now concert festival.

So here it is. I offer you Change, in pictures…

I originally planned to see the September 3 show, but, as fate had it, and luck on the part of my friend, managed to see the September 1 show as well. Some overlap in the song selection, but well worth the added expense of the extra ticket.

All I can say is that when I am 73, which is over a decade away, I hope that I look that great and can move that well. Outstanding performance. Played all of the old stuff, some newer things, and after 3 hours for each performance, I was happy to have been there.

And in typical nerd fashion, I also went to the beach, if only for a little while. No swimming, but sand and surf. No shorts. No tan. Just some quiet, barefoot in the sand and water. Water was warm but there were no lifeguards and so there was no swimming. Some people just relaxing in chairs.

The second trip, which just concluded a few days ago, was for Fall break. The local school has changed the calendar here and now has more breaks as they take longer to complete the school year. In this case, we took son to New York City for the week.

Ate too much food, visited the 9 11 Monument and Museum (right when they had their first pool jumper) and the MET, to name a few places (besides shopping). All illustrated in the photos below…..

Yes, I left New Mexico to see Native American Pottery in addition to the silver pottery from the middle 1700’s from America.

LEGO Steve from the New York City trip. One of the few souvenirs that I purchased. The other was a replica of the Wall Street Bull, and some books from a real bookstore.

Along the way, there were a few smaller trips. Took daughter to college, went to Amarillo (for work) but had a field trip to the Cadillac Ranch. All captured in pictures…

The picture above is the family, walking to our cars to say goodbye after we dropped daughter off at college. She is in Colorado so it’s only a seven-hour drive.

I painted the Zia on the car at the Cadillac Ranch. Found it interesting that there is so much paint on each car. Doubt that it is there should I return after a few months.

And finally, we said goodbye to Ruby, who left for a retirement ranch in southern Colorado, only 6 hours from here. I end this post with some photos of packing Ruby up for the trip.

And just like that…she was gone. Roman misses her very much and so we have had to spend some time consoling him. Our last report indicates that she has made friends and loves the open fields of the ranch.

Until next time.

Categories
ramblings of a madman

Today is Sunday, July 16

Happy Sunday. It is sunny and almost noon here in Northern New Mexico. I have had my morning coffee, paid the bills, caught up on some news, and managed to get to the grocery store. Quite a productive day, so far. I found a brief moment to rush a posting on the blog. So here we go…

Yesterday I managed to take a Steve day. A Steve day is where I get out of the house and go off on some adventure or execute a ritual from times past. Well in this case, I went to Santa Fe, for all things…wait for it…lunch at Red Lobster. Yes, it is the simplest things in life. Given the distances between points in the west, compared to the east, one can drive miles as part of the adventure.

Except this was not much of an adventure. Only a 30-mile trip by car. Checking out the blue sky, running the air conditioner on high, and blasting the music while driving. Relaxing! Yet with gas still at $3.59 a gallon, the road trip has become somewhat more of a luxury than an adventure. That may be why it is best to combine the trips into the weekend getaway or plan multiple errands for the same trip.

I finally used that gift card that the kids got me for Christmas. It was tasty and filling. Followed that up with a trip to Dillard’s. Yes, I was at the mall! Malls still exist and are an important socio-economic element in society. Dillard’s remains an anchor tenet at Sante Fe Place, the mall south of Santa Fe. Malls were first hit hard by on-line shopping, and then the pandemic. There I bought some dress clothes for a possible trip in August, to attend the wedding of my cousin’s daughter. Not sure yet because there is much going on later in the month work wise. After clothes, some coffee and a grinder. Necessary for my morning habit.

When I first got to New Mexico, I spent lots of time at the mall, trying to adjust to my new surroundings, meet new people, get out of the house and have something outside of work look forward to. It was typically lunch and a movie, or lunch, a movie and a trip to the bookstore. After the long years of work, marriage and divorce, what I have become to call the hibernation years, I am finally resuming what I hope is the return to normalcy. After all, I am a human of habit. As the kids get older and are onto bigger and better things in their own lives, what becomes my third act in life is slowly taking shape, or so I may think.

For me, life is basically reduced to three acts. The first act encompasses the first 29 years and covers growing up and going to school. The second act, which I guess is slowly coming to an end, are the work years. These years represent the 30+ years here in New Mexico. When I retire, which remains unclear, will be the end of the second act and the start of the third act.

As soon as I have laid out that third act, then I can pull the lever and make it happen. I find that music is an important element of those periods and perhaps that is part of the problem. I have not found the correct sound for the next act. Yesterday I found myself dusting off some old music from the 80’s and 90’s, in the form of the Screaming Trees, Husker Du, the Buzzcocks, and other vintage sounds. According to Wikipedia, the Screaming Trees are no more, but the Buzzcocks released an album in 2022.

I don’t know why music fills much of the stages of my life. Corny to call the selections an operatic soundtrack? I have a lousy voice, cannot carry a tune, I cannot play an instrument, but find that music is at the center of many of my memories, from growing up in Pennsylvania, to college, to today. I have given thought about taking up an instrument when I retire, so maybe that will happen.

Sadly, I should have gone back to Pennsylvania last weekend for my uncle’s funeral. The last immediate relative from my childhood passed away earlier in the week. Except for the neighbors, who are in their 80’s, some cousins scattered throughout the state, there isn’t much of a reason to return. My connections with that time are limited and relegated to memories.

Except for the occasional Facebook postings, much of my interactions with where I grew up are now just memories. There is no more Chief Logan High School. Most of my friends from high school, or for that matter, college, have moved on. Away from Pennsylvania. Contact is reduced to Facebook.

It has been very hot the past week or so, with the daily temperatures getting up into the high 80’s or low 90’s. Some wind, low humidity, but no rain. I have been growing tomatoes and sweet peppers on the back deck. So far, so good, but I have been applying lots of water to them.

Too hot, unfortunately, to work outside at the stables and finish the fence. Might have to adjust my schedule and work very early in the morning. We shall see. Hay deliveries resume in a week and so I need to get into the summer weekend activities. After the fence, I need to work on repairs to the stable buildings, the back yard at the house, and my ultimate desire to find land away from everyone to have a weekend retreat, a compound, a place to get away from it all.

On that note, I will end it here. No pictures for this update. Just words about the weekend. Nothing about the happenings of the past week. Hope you have a great weekend and week ahead. Until next time…

Categories
the week in review

Today is the 4th of July?

Today is the 4th of July. A federal holiday that is to signify the birthday of our nation. Jewel and I have been up now for several hours. We went to get some coffee but ended up at the stables to feed the horses. Roman and Ruby were up and hungry. They let me know just how hungry they were.

I have the day off. Unfortunately, some people do not. I thank them for brewing a most excellent cup of coffee that a gas station can produce. It is dark, It is hot and full of deep flavor that is making my start of this day better than I could have predicted.

Of course, daughter slept in but eventually showed up. Note that I too slept in, if you call sleeping until 6 am sleeping in…

We managed to get some new hay delivered yesterday and so I needed her to help to guide me through the feed. We needed to mix the old hay with the new hay. Horses are very finicky as far diet is concerned. The new hay was the same as the old hay, an Orchard/Timothy Grass mix that we purchased late last fall. This new hay just appears to have more brome grass hay than usual. Gladly, there is no alfalfa in it. We worry about alfalfa in the diet for both horses since they have coliced on it in the past.

Hay has been difficult to get recently, in part because of the dry conditions here in the west. However, there has been much rain and lots of snow still in the mountains of Colorado. There is hope that the drought has decreased and the forest fire season this summer will not be as bad as last year.

In my last post, I wrote about the fence project that I embarked on. So, an update is in order. The posts were put in place, and I have been slowly placing the cross pieces of the fence. For Roman’s portion of the new fence, I am putting three boards across to make it sturdier. After all, he is a big and very strong animal. I have finally purchased everything necessary to finish the fence. I just need time to work on it.

As I said, I am not finished. Still much to do. But it is very hot, and the sun above can drain the body of energy quickly. Water, and suntan lotion only go so far. I realize that I am no longer a spry youngster. After all, at age 62, I still have about 31 years left to live.

My daughter and Roman just returned from the Coconinio Horse Trials even in Flagstaff. She was very happy with their performance with this being his second event. To quote Madison, she at least finished. That means she stayed on the horse for all three events and placed a respectable 12th. If she is happy, then I am happy.

I, of course stayed home and fed Ruby, who also was very helpful when I was working on the fence. And of course, son helped some and was justly rewarded with more ROBUX to fill his video game appetite. It is July and he has not started on any of the summer projects that I dreamed up for him.

Today is the 4th of July. I noticed this year that there are many more flags being displayed than in years past. Some of this, I believe is that there have been many people moving in and out of Los Alamos. More and more of them served in the military. People becoming more patriotic? People becoming prouder to be American’s? To show their love of country? I recently read a new poll suggesting that this was NOT the case. I believe that seeing all of the insanity on TV indicates that we are more bifurcated than in years past. I blame it on the educational system in this country that is in decline. We need to fix it before it is too late.

Our country is having problems, but we have risen to the challenges in the past. To overcome, to move forward. Our better days are and will be ahead of us. I strongly believe that the other options out there are JUST PLAIN WRONG. I hope that sanity, sensibility and law and order will return soon. Sadly, too many people today just want everything handed to them. They were mistreated in the past and deserve everything for free. Hard work, is, has been and always will be what is required to advance in this world.

Today is the 4th of July. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.”

Lots of noise from the left about the rulings from the Supreme Court earlier this week. They are entitled to their opinions even though I do not agree with them. I am glad that one of the branches of government can still read and understand the words in the Constitution. If you borrow money, then pay it back. Don’t like the terms of the loan, then don’t borrow the money.

Race should not be used to decide who gets into college. Reward diversity based on the merits of the person and not the color of their skin. Often you will find that will truly provide greater diversity. And letting a person have their own opinions that do not agree with a prevailing attitude and allowing that person to exercise their own free speech is not a blow to LGBTQ rights. It reinforces one of the rights of all Americans in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As such, the meaning of today, this national holiday, lives on for another year, outside the decay of the moral fabric that is destroying our society, our way of life.

Pictures of the Declaration of Independence – Stone Engraving
This is a picture of the original Declaration of Independence. You can view it today in person in the Rotunda of the National Archives building in Washington D.C. Notice that the original Declaration is very worn and faded.

Just because the words of the original document are faded does not mean that their meanings are faded in any way. What was true over 200 years ago, still holds true today.

Well, that covers the view of my world since my last posting. With that, another week, maybe two (or three) have passed. I will return to work tomorrow, more frustrated than ever in terms of trying to do what I am paid to do. Until then, have a safe and happy 4th of July. Hope that there are lots of fireworks tonight, hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad, and that people are mindful of and respectful towards others. If we could just start with the simple things in this world. Until next time.

Categories
Family

Summertime Project #1

Summer has arrived in New Mexico. It is getting hotter, and there is less rain in the forecasts. Little to no humidity. Most of the snow has finally melted, unless you venture north. The mountains in southern Colorado still have a fair amount of snow. The occasional breeze only serves to bring some cool air or kick up a dust storm. But as the pictures below attest, the summer sky is very blue.

For me, it’s time for the evening grill, a cold beer, or even an occasional walk around the neighborhood. It’s also time to work around the stables, bale hay for Roman and Ruby, or otherwise mow the weeds. That said, I really want to get in a summer hike and to do some car camping.

Work this summer is concentrating on putting up a new fence around Roman’s paddock. He pushes over the current fence in order to get to the green weeds in the ditch next to his paddock. So yesterday I started the fence replacement. This involves getting posts, digging post holes, and burying the new posts in cement.

The design is to continue the fence along the ditch and connect Ruby’s paddock with Roman’s paddock. Construction uses pressure treated wood, and then wire to keep the horses in. As you can see, one of the horses just loves to gnaw on the wood. So, we will have to treat it with some red-hot chili powder solution.

Early into the effort, we have drilled the holes about two feet into the ground. My friend Louis has a tractor with a post hole attachment which makes the dig very easy and fast. Going down two feet, into the tuff could take a day for a single hole if one were to do it by hand. Not very fun! However, the eight post holes only took a little over an hour. Thanks for the help, Louis.

Then it was time to mix the cement. Each post took over one 60-pound bag of cement to fill. It was hot, no clouds, no help. Just me and the wheelbarrow. But by two in the afternoon, it was 84 and all of the posts were placed. Where is that occasional breeze?

Progress with several posts buried in cement into the ground on the southeast side or Roman’s paddock. By this time, I think I had about 6 bottled waters to keep hydrated. And of course, lots of sunscreen given the hot sun pounding from above.

The fence finally starts to take shape with the cross pieces. But by this time, I was tired. My aching body is drained, as the sun was beating down from above. Also, we did a terrible job spacing the posts and so I will need to make a return trip to the local ACE store in Los Alamos get longer 2 x 6 boards in order to complete the fence.

Roman will be out of his paddock this upcoming weekend and so hopefully I can finish the project. Two other projects are on the books for the summer. The first is to replace the deck to the main barn and to spruce up the area. Then comes a general replacement of weather damaged boards on the main barn and two sheltered stalls for the horses. Also need to work on the steel sheeting for the roof and walls of the buildings. The main barn needs some stucco repair. Perhaps if all goes well, we can be painting by fall.

We will keep you apprised of the progress.

Categories
Family life

Is it May already?

I cannot believe that we have entered the month of May. Allergies are bothering me to the point where I need to take the usual drugs in order to get through the day. The first several months of this year have just flown on by. We have already passed Cinco De Mayo. I have had another birthday, 62, and find myself still working. March flew by like a lion. The weather is starting to improve, yet a couple of weeks ago we had snow. Soon it will be summer, and the kids will be out of school for the summer.

Tis a typical Sunday that I find myself up somewhat early. Having tea and breakfast. Laundry is done. The dog is fed. Need to take some items to the recycling bins (glass and cardboard boxes). Vacuum cleaner needs to be run; a general spring cleaning is necessary. Yard needs to be cleaned up, especially since Jewel uses it a lot. Virginia creeper runs amuck along the once fence. If I don’t thin it out, it grows across the canopy of trees and slowly kills them. My backyard is a mess that is in need of some revitalization. I think about it every year but never really get any backyard project started. Yet it is time to plant the tomatoes in the deck box.

Ditto with the projects at the stables. Some of the wood in the buildings needs to be replaced. The wind can blow quite excessively, causing damage. The fence needs replaced in areas; a good coat of paint would improve the aesthetics of the place. Alas, soon it will be time to cut the grass, bail hay for the horses, and in general, try to keep up with the chores.

Soon I will find myself at the high school graduation. I cannot believe my little girl is 18 and a senior. Seems like it was just yesterday when she was doing little girl things. Where did the time fly? Soon it will be off to college and then taking care of the horses while she is away. Son will have wrapped up a very difficult freshman year. What will we have him do this summer?

This summer, I have taken a vow of sorts to do things that I want to do. Camping and other weekend getaways. Get to the gun range and target practice. Hiking and yes, some fishing. I want to sit under a tree and read books, to go to fancy restaurants, waste hours in bookstores, drink wine and visit microbreweries. Long weekend trips to visit friends, museums, art galleries.

Some of the planning is coming together for summer concerts. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus in Taos, Bruce Spingsteen and The E Street Band, and perhaps even Pearl Jam.

Yet I need a new iPhone, put the car into the garage, what else?

Well it’s a nice day and so I might as well see what I can accomplish. Until next time.

Categories
Uncategorized whatever

In the aftermath of COVID

I submit that we have returned to near normal after the past three years of COVID. That does not mean that it is gone. It is still out there, lurking in the shadows of everyday life as another virus that can interfere with us. I am hopeful that we have learned something as a society in the aftermath of COVID, but I am afraid not.

I was on travel the other week for work. Airplanes and airports are very busy. I am afraid that this is a simple fact that we have more people than our country can support, as much as it is of a return to near normal. Anyway, when I got to my work travel location, I was informed that a coworker had tested positive for COVID and was home. Of course, I, sitting in an office across the country, heard this and had to wonder if I too was going to test positive, get sick, or contribute to a new outbreak. As you see, as I was being told this, I wasn’t really feeling 100%. But I was on travel, and I always feel bad for a couple days after being locked up for hours in an airplane. It goes without saying but I always get ill after air travel. They claim that they have micropore filters and that they clean after every flight and that all is well. Doesn’t matter, I still get sick.

However, in my case, it turned out to not be COVID. The pollen count was up from the pine trees. Some loratadine and Flonase and I was back to my old self. And to be safe, a few COVID tests confirmed that I was not a walking typhoid Mary.

Conversely, my son missed most of February due to a sinus infection. It lingered for about four weeks after first not getting any antibiotics, to getting the wrong antibiotics, to just missing so much school and homework that he was suffering. Yet he didn’t have COVID either, although we had to test him multiple times for strep, RSV, COVID and the flu.

But it is still around. It will be with us forever they say. Biden still has all of the emergency aspects in place that were around with COVID. Pretty sure that he would try to spend billions more in COVID emergency aid if he could. The truth is now the subject of hearings, as to its origins. Perhaps they will have hearings as to how drugs were brought to market so fast, as the real complications of the vaccines emerge.

In my annual physical with my primary doctor, he had asked if I had all my COVID boosters. I said no. I had the original two shots, the 3rd shoot (the booster after the fact) but that I did not have the new COVID vaccine cocktail. I asked why since I managed to get COVID anyway. His response was that it probably wasn’t as severe, as I have a couple of health matters that would put me at higher risk, it would be advantageous. I argued natural immunity. In the end, we agreed to disagree. I keep looking for the data just to see how well things are since we have had inoculated millions, including myself. What health effects will we see down the road?

I’m guessing that the concept of masks will be with us forever. Every time I go to the hospital, I am required to wear a mask. The COVID aftermath created new litter that I see along the road, in the parking lots, all over. The mask! Whether it is cloth, KN95, something else, it now represents additional trash produced by our society and discarded without abandoned.

As we had mask, antibiotic, food and other shortages for basic good as they are no longer manufactured in this country, I would hope that we invest in returning the basic manufacturing needs for everyday life in this country. I’m not saying that we should make toasters, but there are things that we still experience shortages because of the supply chain.We go for the cheap but fail to understand the costs when we are without. They can be significant. Antibiotics is a key one. How many people would stay ill, or get worse, or die if we didn’t have access to antibiotics? I understand that we don’t make many of these drugs today here. We have drug shortages for many drugs important to our daily lives. The only drug that appears to be in unlimited supply and has Chinese origins is Fentanyl. We can thank Joe Biden for that!

As for now, both my son and I want to lose that extra weight that I attribute to COVID. The inability to go out and about, the daily sitting, has contributed to our individual BMI’s. As daughter got out every day to feed the horses, she didn’t suffer as much as we did.

However, the consequences of the COVID aftermath are all around us. Closed restaurants and other businesses that we enjoyed and shopped at; long lines in those places that remained open as there are fewer people to support the business. Lines are longer, waits are more. Shortages still exist as some of the isles in the grocery store remain baren. Small business is critical to towns and society. Sadly, our society continues to rot away. A frayed moral fabric continues to show our decline. Less civility has been replaced with more senility.

The tear of our social fabric is long and deep and will be with us longer than the mutations of COVID. I really do not care where it came from, although I believe more in the lab-leak theory. One of the lingering issues from the COVID years is that many conspiracy theories have turned out to be closer to the truth than the fake media wants you to believe! I do care as to whether it was natural or created by man and accidentally released. More to the point, what are we going to do to keep that from happening in the future.

The world is comprised of evil despots who want to destroy us. It would be nice if we could live together.

The whole inflation situation that we find ourselves in today, I am afraid, will be with us for a long while. I believe that the two separate issues of inflation and the COVID support are tied together. Free money allowed people the opportunity not to work. Yet, now that there is no more free money, where are all of the workers? They all did not retire. They all did not die or develop a health condition that keeps them from working. Did the free money allow people to unleash their rugged individualism? Allow them to develop self-sustaining farms? Unleash millions in investments so that work was no longer required? In all cases, the free ride that America has taken, since before COVID and continues to this day, is a bill that will soon be coming due. I am afraid that it will get worse before it gets better.

Sadly, our children suffered. They suffered way too much. Issues associated with their mental health are increasing. They lost critical educational years of school but will probably not be noticed given how bad the American educational system has become. Sadly, yet another indicator of our declining society. Yet another aspect of the simple truth that we are not leaving our country and our world, in a better place than what we inherited. I wonder, and I worry how bad things will become for my children.

Categories
ramblings of a madman

My Second Post of the Year

My Second Post of the Year comes at the start of the third month of 2023. I have wanted to do better, and my list of topics continues to grow, but my time to devote on the writing has been short. Many topics beyond the normal ramblings of a madman currently populate my list. I notice that when the weekend comes, I find myself preoccupied with a great many things. And so, by Sunday, I just want to ignore everybody and everything. This leaves me to either read a book, vegetate on a movie or documentary, or even just sleep.

This weekend was no exception. Unfortunately, I returned from a week of travel and had much to catch up on. Saturday, I slept because I really don’t sleep well on travel. I ended up sleeping most of the day, after sleeping in. Needed to go to the grocery store as the house was out of food. Yet I slept and will defer that shopping, paying the bills, doing the laundry and general cleaning, until today.

This morning was quite productive. Bills paid. Taxes finished, but not yet sent. Sadly, this year I will be paying instead of getting a refund. Not surprised given Biden’s desire to tax everybody to pay for his progressive (socialist) agenda of illegals, climate change, criminal justice, reparations, student loans. Inflation is up, income is down, and I have certainly reduced my spending on things that I do not need or want.

Side note. Noticed a sign about highway construction upon my travel return, touting that the road construction was paid by his “Build Back Better” act. Odd since the construction started a year before his build back better bill was passed. Our governor was spending millions that she did not have upcoming to this past election, starting road projects that are still setting idle, years after the signs were put up, the orange cones were placed, lanes were reduced, and the occasional bulldozer was parked near the construction.

As I said, bills are paid. I still pay most of my bills the old-fashioned way. I get a statement, I write a check, I mail the bill. I do not like paying bills online. Every month it seems that I get a notice about this or that account having been “hacked”. They set you up with a service to view whether your information is being used, diverted, sold. They never pay you for your time to check your information, replace your credit cards, update changes, the sudden increases in unwanted e-mails. I want my privacy. That comes at a cost to me. One that I am willing to pay for.

Yes, I still balance my checkbook. Every few months, I order new checks. I go to the post office and get stamps. I have a supply of envelopes. I don’t save any money by not paying bills this way. I don’t save any money by paying bills electronically, either. The companies claim that it saves money.

Does it save them money? I am not sure. They just nickel and dime you. Every month it is something different. If not them directly, well then, they just past on the costs to you. My Verizon bill was two cents more this month than last month. Why? Because the State of New Mexico increased the state rural universal service fund monthly surcharge per communication connection. What is the state rural universal fund? Well, it is a broadband program that offers digital equity and digital inclusion in rural areas of the state of New Mexico. Not sure if my service gets any better. On a daily basis, I think about half of my cellphone calls do not connect. Over at Comcast, NBCUniversal will no longer include Peacock Premium with my Xfinity service at no additional charge. In other words, my HD Preferred Plus package will be going up in price with less service or an option unavailable. With everything going to streaming services, I am afraid that what I want to watch will cost me more what it’s all over. Stop watching altogether will become the end state.

Corporate America just continues to nickel and dime you. Amazon increases the cost for Prime, yet very few movies are available at no cost, and when did they last send a package with next day delivery? The credit card companies are the worst. The prime interest rate is less than 5%, yet your credit card interest is almost 17%. I pay my bills on time. And damn, I even paid my student loans! Should I not get a discount as a preferred customer? Of late, the balance is paid in full each and every month. OK, so you don’t want to pay electronically, well, we will send you the statement, but no envelope to pay the bill. But do you have to send a bill when the balance is zero dollars?

What I would like is one company to do all of my business. My banking and pay a decent interest rate on my savings. Instead of 0.1% interest, how is it that other places can pay 3%? 4%? Offer a credit card that pays what I actually cost them for interest because my credit is good. How about insurance? My auto insurance, my homeowner’s insurance, my other insurance has all seen increases this past year. Yet I have never filed a claim. Healthcare, the list goes on and on.

I have started to plan a vacation for later this year, thinking that I will spend more time locally, with weekend getaways. And I want to get out and do some camping this year! Concerts will probably be few and far between, but I am working on that list.

The world around us isn’t that much better. As I get older, I see that it is getting worse. I see that the world that I am leaving for my children is in decline. The war in Ukraine continues. America continues its increasing debt drive into becoming a third world country. In short, our leaders fail to hold themselves, and the people, accountable for the problems. The crash is coming, and I hope that people are preparing.

Of late, I have also found myself using Sunday as a day to cook meals for the week. As the cold and snow continues into March in Northern New Mexico, I see myself thinking about a making some chili for the week. Not the New Mexico kind with Hatch Green Chile but rather the Texas kind, with beans and veggies.

And so, on that note, it’s time for laundry and off to the store. May these words find you safe and healthy. Until next time.

Categories
whatever

A snowy welcome to 2023

Time just seems to be just flying by. Soon I will have eclipsed 62 years on this planet. Of late I have focused on the end of my second act and the start of my third act. Wondering what come’s next? Wondering when I start that next act of my life. I believe that I have much left to explore, to accomplish, to act upon and comment on.

I find myself up early on a cold Sunday morning in January, trying to decide what to do today as I finish off that second cup of coffee. A month has flown by already, and this represents my first post for the new year. The getting up early is normal, regardless of the day of the week. The list of things that I should do is rather long. The list of things that I must do, not so much. Outside it is just 14 degrees, as the sun begins to shine over the mountains. The ground is covered with upwards of four inches on the ground as it has snowed several times this week.

The thought of snow has been on my mind of late. For me, it identifies the season. It cleanses the air, the ground, the surroundings in some unique way. Others might suggest that it tells us about climate change (or not), global warming (or not), or it’s the end of the world as we know it (or not). I’m not planning on writing about that topic today. Save it for some future post. As I get older, the presence of snow keeps me from going out and doing things. It’s just too cold and as I get older, I mind the cold more and more. Clearly, I have a risk aversion to the cold weather. So does Jewel, who goes outside more than I. When there is snow, she does not travel as far in order to do her business. I have a shovel on the deck to clean up after her.

Snow on the ground is an indicator of how risk averse society has become. Many, many years ago, like when I was growing up, delays and cancellations for school or work, were very infrequent. One had to experience several feet before such actions were taken. Now an inch falls and there is a two-hour (or more) delay. Work is suspended for the day, but if you can work from home, please do so. It is hard to manufacture things from your kitchen table if you work requires specialized equipment. Oh, that’s right, as this is America, and we don’t manufacture things anymore.

I think delays are a response to how litigious our society has become. Work was suspended for the day. There was very little snow outside. I went out and drove around the neighborhood. Roads were snow packed and icy. Others were also out and about. A local restaurant was open and staffed for breakfast. I stopped and got something to eat. Small businesses here suffer the most when things like this happen. And with many small businesses going under after COVID, or unable to find enough people, or pay a decent wage because of runaway inflation, I was glad to stop in.

What about those people who are out there to plow the roads? What about those who have to travel long distances, to show up to work, or to school, in order to plow the parking lots, drive the buses, clear the walkways?

I see this aversion to risk everywhere, particularly at work. The fear of making a mistake, the fear of something not going correctly. It’s the fear of well, fear. It adds time and money to accomplishing even the simplest of tasks. We have procedures for everything. And if it is a task previously performed, albeit not very often, we cannot just resurrect the original procedure, we must start with a clean sheet of paper. We no longer value the skill of craft. We no longer value experience. Here’s to the two months of planning for the two-hour job!

All of this pre-planning, followed by planning, followed by replanning, on and on. Less gets accomplished and the cost of doing anything only increases. Obviously having more people review and comment makes the final product better. No, it does not. It only adds to the time to build the product. Yes, the consequences of poor planning can be extensive. But my god man, it isn’t rocket science.

So, as I close, welcome to TheMcKeeSpot for 2023. Hopefully I will write more frequently and hopefully more and more of you will check it out. Stay warm. Stay safe. And hug your kids.

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whatever

Happy Holiday’s

Sitting here this Friday morning having a cup of tea, not coffee, I cannot believe that the year will soon be over. In my opinion, this year, 2022, has been very much a downer. Nonetheless, the year has flown by quickly. In my mind, the past 360-plus days is largely a blur. Some good times, some not-so-good times. The not-so-good times outnumber the good. Looking back upon my limited postings that I have put up over the course of the year, I come to the realization that I am glad that it will soon be over.

I would characterize this year as one in which a few good things happened, woven into the thread of bad times. The loss of friends, the loss of coworkers, the belief that tomorrow will be better than yesterday, uncertainty as to the path that I am to follow. Much of it not part of my plan, nor embellished in my posts. At least I am still standing.

Christmas has come and gone. The tree was put up, the stockings were hung over the fireplace. Presents exchanged. Presents unwrapped. Outside the weather was dreary. Cold days and nights, some rain, very windy, and a little snow. I was able to spend some time with the kids. Several hours between exchanging gifts, cooking a meal and eating it. Prime rib, beets and mashed potatoes. Alas, another holiday meal this year where I did not drink wine.

Another year in the bank in terms of work. I have eclipsed my 32nd year at Los Alamos. I have been calling this period as the second act in my life, unsure of what comes next or which direction to take. For a while, I have been thinking that it has been time to lower the curtain on this act, to move on, retire and decide “what’s next?”.

I had dinner last night with a coworker who reminded me that I have been saying that I will retire as long as she has known me. It has been and endless set of three bad days and then I am out. While this is true, I guess that I don’t move forward because I am torn between the idea that there is more to accomplish versus, I don’t know what is next. What is in this second act that remains unwritten?

Professionally, I have come to the conclusion that 2022 has been the least productive of my career. Goals not achieved. Work not completed. Old problems continue to linger. New problems all the time that lack solutions yet need to be addressed.

Personally, I have not seen much growth in myself. Change is hard. I can hope that 2023 will be better. I can try harder, but I am not optimistic. So Happy Holidays to one and all. A New Year will soon be among us.

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ramblings of a madman

Tis a Saturday ramble on just about everything.

Good morning, everyone. I have been awake now for a couple of hours. Managed to get out and get my usual breakfast, a Chili Work burrito. I typically alternate between the Classic or the Jolly. A Classic is bacon, green with cheese whereas the Jolly is sausage, green with cheese. Eggs, potato and tortilla are a given. Yum. Of course, everyone should understand that green means green chili. You can get you burrito either as green, which is my favorite, red chili, no chili or even Christmas. Christmas is green and red. New Mexico is known for its chili.

Christmas shopping is almost complete. So, this weekend I will clean around the house and probably put up the Christmas tree. Like most Americans, given the poor economy with inflation out of control, I have limited what I am spending for gifts this year. Lacking snow on the ground, but cold weather, it isn’t very conducive to being in the Christmas spirit. Daughter is easy to shop for in terms of gifts. For her, it is things for the horse, or for her on the horse. Conversely, for son, he is harder to shop for. Video games is a given although I try to get him interested in other things.

I have been recovering from a stomach bug over the past few days. Not the flu, and not COVID. Could be my diet of late, or it could be work-related stress. I am not really sure. Trying to improve my diet. Have good days, and then not so good days. Applies to diet, and also for managing the work stress. Noting that my 32nd anniversary of work will soon be upon me, I have to wonder if I need to be done.

Getting e-mails from government health officials about the need to get a COVID booster. Yet, I had the original plus booster, and got COVID anyway. It is difficult to find some unopinionated science on the virus and so what to do next is difficult to decide. Having had COVID suggests that natural immunity would be ideal, yet I know people who have had COVID multiple times and so one has to question how far natural immunity will take you.

As I compose this post, the news is in the background. Topics being discussed cover many topics. From the broken border and increasing number of illegals crossing it daily, the prisoner swap with Russia, upcoming bowl games, the “Twitter files” and the suppression of free speech, politics, the economy, and America in decline.

And so, I will comment on all of those topics as I finish todays post. The border is broken. We need a wall. All of the illegals who have arrived need to be arrested and returned.

Drugs are coming over the border and it is our citizens who are dying. The precursors for those drugs originate in China. It is not in their interest to stop the exports of these materials. This is an undeclared war on our people and our way of life.

We are a nation of laws and if our government cannot enforce the basic laws, then it is time to get a new government. Impeachment is a just and prudent response to what has happened over the past two years.

The thought of a rematch between Michigan and Ohio State in the championship game is something to ponder, but I am not counting on it.

The “Twitter files” clearly show what we understood for a while. Twitter suppressed free speech based on the ideological bend of those who worked there. And of course, the fact that the Biden administration was involved should not surprise anyone. The Biden crime family and his administration is a cancer on our way of life. His administration is a disgrace; they are against the citizens of this nation and need to be removed from office.

Lastly, our economy is heading towards a recession as prices continue to go up. I expect it to be long and painful because the previous methods to manage economic decline simply will not work. Our government needs to get our house in order and stop giving away trillions of dollars based on policies that are not in the best interest of the people, the nation or the world. Nothing will put the country into greater decline faster than the economic decline, the educational decline, the decline in our standard of living, and the lack of lawlessness that we are seeing on a daily basis. Biden, like Obama before him, have been in office for a decade. Yet our budget deficit sits at $31 trillion dollars. In other words, these two men, in ten years, have managed contribute to half the national debt. And they have made our country worse, not better.

Expect me to cover these and other topics in future postings as 2022 comes to and end and we enter 2023. It is shameful that we are leaving this country in worse shape, on a path for war, famine, lower life expectancies and economic morass. Based on the results of the last election, we need to educate the electorate before it is too late, if it is possible. Or maybe the electorate wants to live in this type of cesspool. I don’t!