I never planned to live here for 385 days. When I left Colorado Springs, I wanted to go someplace new & different. A place I had never been before, without memories and assorted baggage. Never in my now 60 + years did I ever think of living on the west coast. Now I know why...PDX was voted the “Most boring city in America”…. months of rain instead of snow, the rudest people I have ever met, hundreds of bums, and walking insane.
On the positive side, I am not currently sleeping in a dry doorway (which wasn’t that bad), don’t have to wander throughout the city looking for free meals, eating with street trash, addicts, and ex-cons! I have a nice studio apartment, a computer, TV, etc. Materially, I am about at the same level of “success” as when I worked almost full time at a chain bookstore, getting paid 50% less than I got on unemployment in another state! Actually, I think I am better off now!
While I get bored on occasion, I manage to stay busy with a marginal daily routine. I read several books per week, chat with neighbors, write my Blogs and Tweet on the internet, cook meals from scratch, watch news and selected shows on TV, listen to jazz and blues, and ponder the mysteries of life.
When I get my first Social Security check on 10-10-10, I am so out here! I’ll head back east to the upper part of Michigan or perhaps NE Minnesota or NE Wisconsin, find some land and live out my life as a hermit.
"Invite your enemies to dine on a cup of malice and a cold plate of revenge!"
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Getting Stuff........Luck, or Blessing?
Like Charlie on "Two and a Half Men", sometimes things just come to me without effort. Things I need, like a comfy chair or even money. I wonder....is it just luck, taking advantage of an opportunity, or a blessing from God? Unlike Charlie however, cute, nubile, 30 yr old sex partners don't seem to appear!
I am now maxed out on space in my 360 sq ft studio apartment. Still have room for some more pictures and some plants, my first I'll get today! Some days, retirement is good!
"Today's" segment on Credit made me laugh. FICA Scores, credit reports, loan payments and credit card debt only matter if you play that "game"...and it is a game. I have never played it, cared to play it and have never won....or lost that game! Cash....ever head of it? If you can't pay cash, you don't need it or can't afford it. Our Grandparents didn't use credit back in the 1930's. Presently we are paying the price of living on future earnings....there aren't any. You lost your job, can't find a new one more than minimum wage, and spent your $50,000 IRA. Wait your me! Welcome to the "Golden Years"!
I am now maxed out on space in my 360 sq ft studio apartment. Still have room for some more pictures and some plants, my first I'll get today! Some days, retirement is good!
"Today's" segment on Credit made me laugh. FICA Scores, credit reports, loan payments and credit card debt only matter if you play that "game"...and it is a game. I have never played it, cared to play it and have never won....or lost that game! Cash....ever head of it? If you can't pay cash, you don't need it or can't afford it. Our Grandparents didn't use credit back in the 1930's. Presently we are paying the price of living on future earnings....there aren't any. You lost your job, can't find a new one more than minimum wage, and spent your $50,000 IRA. Wait your me! Welcome to the "Golden Years"!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
What to Put in Your Cooler – 5 of the Best Beers You've Never Tried
by: Kavin Yardly
America's big-name beers are great, but if you've been drinking them as long as we have, you just might be in the mood for something different. Also, Americans tend to drink a lot of lager and light beers, which, while cool and refreshing, can lack that bite that you need sometimes in a beer. Here we present 5 beers that you've never tried that you can stock your cooler with next game day:
1) Duvel
Duvel is the flagship beer of Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium, and it's available all over the world. Duvel is a golden ale with a lot of flavor. It's great served lightly chilled straight out of the bottle. Be careful though, because Duvel has a high alcohol content of 8.5%, hence the name Duvel, which means 'devil' in Brabantian!. Duvel tastes best when consumed refrigerated. Duvel can be refrigerated through diversity like counter top fridge, portable mini fridge and sport coolers.
2) Miller Genuine Draft
Miller make Miller Genuine Draft using a special process that prevents some of the beer's flavour from being lost like it is on many mainstream beers. It has won a couple of awards at the World Beer Cup and has a sweet aroma and a mild bitterness.
3) Stella Artois
This is a lager, again from Belgium, but one with a stronger taste than most American brewed mainstream lagers. It has a 'sparkling' appearance and a nice level of bitterness. It’s taste increases if it is consumed chilled with the help of various refrigerating techniques like portable ice maker, rolling cooler, backpack coolers. If you like lagers but want a bit more taste, give Stella Artois a try!
4) Trumer Pils
This one is an Austrian pilsner. Pilsners tend to have a very light color and a distinctive smell and flavour. Trumer is full-bodied and has a loooong aftertaste as well, so it's perfect for washing out the bad taste in your mouth caused by your team losing on game day!
5) Becks
Reportedly a favorite of David Beckham's, Becks is a German pilsner with a pleasing nutty flavor. It's a beer with a crisp flavour and an easy drinkability which is great on a hot day. It also combines well with BBQ food – perfect for game day!
About The Author
Kavin Yardly
Site Representative
Online Retailer for Rolling Cooler & Sports Cooler-http://www.Superfancoolers.com
America's big-name beers are great, but if you've been drinking them as long as we have, you just might be in the mood for something different. Also, Americans tend to drink a lot of lager and light beers, which, while cool and refreshing, can lack that bite that you need sometimes in a beer. Here we present 5 beers that you've never tried that you can stock your cooler with next game day:
1) Duvel
Duvel is the flagship beer of Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium, and it's available all over the world. Duvel is a golden ale with a lot of flavor. It's great served lightly chilled straight out of the bottle. Be careful though, because Duvel has a high alcohol content of 8.5%, hence the name Duvel, which means 'devil' in Brabantian!. Duvel tastes best when consumed refrigerated. Duvel can be refrigerated through diversity like counter top fridge, portable mini fridge and sport coolers.
2) Miller Genuine Draft
Miller make Miller Genuine Draft using a special process that prevents some of the beer's flavour from being lost like it is on many mainstream beers. It has won a couple of awards at the World Beer Cup and has a sweet aroma and a mild bitterness.
3) Stella Artois
This is a lager, again from Belgium, but one with a stronger taste than most American brewed mainstream lagers. It has a 'sparkling' appearance and a nice level of bitterness. It’s taste increases if it is consumed chilled with the help of various refrigerating techniques like portable ice maker, rolling cooler, backpack coolers. If you like lagers but want a bit more taste, give Stella Artois a try!
4) Trumer Pils
This one is an Austrian pilsner. Pilsners tend to have a very light color and a distinctive smell and flavour. Trumer is full-bodied and has a loooong aftertaste as well, so it's perfect for washing out the bad taste in your mouth caused by your team losing on game day!
5) Becks
Reportedly a favorite of David Beckham's, Becks is a German pilsner with a pleasing nutty flavor. It's a beer with a crisp flavour and an easy drinkability which is great on a hot day. It also combines well with BBQ food – perfect for game day!
About The Author
Kavin Yardly
Site Representative
Online Retailer for Rolling Cooler & Sports Cooler-http://www.Superfancoolers.com
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
PBR vs. Micro Brew Swill
PBR has been part of my life since the 1950’s. Back then, I remember the TV commercials in glorious B&W during the Friday Night Fights. In the early 1980’s when I was part of a management team at a major retailer, PBR was the company’s “un-official” beer after long hours on the job. Where I lived, determined availability. In Michigan and NY, it was difficult to find. The mountain west provided 99 cent, 24 0z Tall Boys, in abundance. But then, upon moving to PDX, PBR became nirvana. It is the norm of bar beers, signs and taps are abundant, and it is inexpensive. A cold PBR is one of god’s treasures, a compliment to a burger or a slice of pizza. It is clean, real beer, with no perfume scent or lingering after taste of flowers, feet, or honey!
Micro Brews on the other hand, are also everywhere. Something about them…. un-dissolved yeast, flavorings like “cherry wheat”, etc just make me sick. I get headaches, like drinking a Hamm’s or Olympia beer at 10,000 feet. I want beer that tastes like beer, not bread. Of course the “beer snobs”, like their wine counterparts, look down their patrician noses at PBR, as they pay 100% more to drink their swill. “Oyo, numb nuts, try filtering that crud!” I laugh at this city’s call to glory as “Beer City USA”, a label which could not possibly measure number of brew pubs or beer sold vs. population. Regardless, it is a “Yuppie” measure of success, like a $300,000 studio condo or a BMW. Swill is still swill.
Micro Brews on the other hand, are also everywhere. Something about them…. un-dissolved yeast, flavorings like “cherry wheat”, etc just make me sick. I get headaches, like drinking a Hamm’s or Olympia beer at 10,000 feet. I want beer that tastes like beer, not bread. Of course the “beer snobs”, like their wine counterparts, look down their patrician noses at PBR, as they pay 100% more to drink their swill. “Oyo, numb nuts, try filtering that crud!” I laugh at this city’s call to glory as “Beer City USA”, a label which could not possibly measure number of brew pubs or beer sold vs. population. Regardless, it is a “Yuppie” measure of success, like a $300,000 studio condo or a BMW. Swill is still swill.
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