Friday, August 28, 2009

Today's Whine

I am surrounded by old people! People who belong in a psychiatric care facility, folks who smell like piss from soiled depends, old farts who smell like weed, alcohol, and have an IQ of 60-80. This is life at my housing building, on the street, and at the Senior Center where I eat and use the computer. On top of all this, they are all "flaming Liberals". But hey, what can one do? Maybe when the H1N1 Swine Flu hits, many will die off, since they are too stupid to stay home if sick, homeless or just old and won't be getting the vaccine! Let the culling begin!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Financial Dreams, Reality Nightmares

I have never had visions of grandeur or obtaining wealth. Once graduated from high school, with high grades and test scores, I entered Aerospace Engineering at a major state university. Friends and I chatted about the future with beer in hand, some speculating on employment in our fields (we were all engineers of some kind), the subject of wealth never came up. I guess engineers figured we would be employed and at a “proper” salary. The work was the goal; getting married and having kids, house with a picket fence, and other clichés, though at the time were merely normal ideas. Well, that path didn’t work out for me.

Finally graduating from college, barely avoiding time in the military, i.e. Vietnam, I married, divorce, married again, had a child, wife died, married again, had two more children, all the time working, but having no career, not even a “lifestyle”. Owning a home seemed more of a burden than an asset. New cars, while nice at first, seemed to drain the life as well as money from my pockets. Bills, payments, the pressure & stress of existence were not a life, but rather a nightmare that never ended.

I could never identify with, let alone understand, “Baby Boomers”; all geared up for success and wealth. What was that about? As foreign to me as living in China, the pursuit of money, big homes, fancy cars, designer clothes, gourmet meals in fancy restaurants, cruises and trips abroad were not considerations and any more than thinking of being a missionary in an African country.

At age 45, I returned to Graduate School, and by age 50 had completed a Masters program in Leadership, along with 2/3 of an MBA program in Management, all while working, yet maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I expected starting salaries of $45,000 per year. I got $32,000…oh well; there go those “dreams”. Now years later, another divorce, layoffs, survival jobs, a year of being homeless & “urban camping”, I am retired from work. In two weeks, I’ll turn 61, and only have one year to collect early social security. My “nest egg” of $75,000 is long gone. I have survived everything life has thrown at me, and like at birth when I came into this world with nothing, I’ll be leaving with nothing. No dreams of wealth or thoughts of fame and fortune, no legacy to mark my existence on earth clouds my thoughts. Survival is my gift, the ability to transcend hardships and challenges. Everyday, like today, I am surrounded by insurmountable opportunities!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Today's Adventure

Today I rode the train...again, to the doctor. I have been having lesions removed by freezing and a few by minor surgery. Biopsy results...no cancer! BP 120/60 and Oxygen is 97% (whatever that means). I will live to fight another day! The bad news? I still weigh 205...arghhhh!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Today is Tuesday

Today's adventure, going by train to the other side of the river to a "Dollar Store" to get bug killing rubbing alcohol....they were out! Looked around in Barnes and Nobel for about 45 minutes looking at computer design magazines and books on "Writing". Their supply was limited, much like the Library. Train was very crowded on the return trip, started thinking "the train to Auschwitz". Personally if the train is that crowded, I'd wait for the next one (10 minutes)! Barely made it to the Senior Center for lunch....but was rewarded with meatloaf! Yummy, the end.

Friday, August 14, 2009

If I was the Benevolent Dictator of the World

Here are five thing I would do if I became Benevolent Dictator of the World.

1. Reduce world population 40% to a sustainable level of 4 billion. Everyone guaranteed basic health care, education, food, and shelter.

2. Resources, consumption, and production would maximize utility, function, need, and quality...not choice, waste, or unnecessary consumption! (free mass transit, free energy, and free water) Basic industries such as steel, autos, clothing, farming, construction, food, etc. all owned and run by benevolent one world government. No private industry or myth of competition.

3. Natural resources 100% sustainable. Population maintained at 4 billion, ultimate world population. Genetic engineering of human species to eliminate health problems, increase intelligence and combine races into a nice "beige" human.

4. One world religion combined from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. eliminates reason for wars, along with elimination of countries, states, and geographic boundaries.

5. Emphasis on space exploration, settlements on Moon, Mars, orbital colonies near Saturn, Jupiter. Terraform Mars and Venus. Research and manufacturing of "Star Drives" and colony ships, technology utilization on Earth.

WOW, anyone notice this sounds just like "Satans" plan for the world. Does no one notice that "The Evil One" is walking the Earth right now, tricking folks (that is what he does best) into doing his will? Comments welcome!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

Here is the real deal, the link for the controversial Health Care Bill now waiting for Congress to reconvene and vote on a compromise with the US Senate!

The Link to the entire text is HERE!

US Senate version LINK here.

Don't be like your unknowing Congress person or Senator...read the whole damn thing!

Saturday, August 08, 2009

"House of Death" Strikes Again

The "Seniors with Disabilities" housing apartments I live in, claimed another life yesterday. A chain smoker, with terminal cancer, died in her sleep. I had noticed her just the day before, smoking like there was no tomorrow, alas, there wasn't.

Currently there are four residents MIA, having been consigned to the hospital for at least three weeks or more. Building management thinks such issues are their secret to hold forth, yet one wonders what their policy will be if the H1N1 Flu strikes in fury. I'll bet they will ignore the issue, rather than take a proactive stance. Other residents want to know what is going on.

I have lived here for one year, and at least 8 folks have died, with dozens taken to hospital, and ambulances arriving three to four times per week. We have those "Emergency Pull Cords" in the apartments to call "Help". It is faster for the resident to just call 911 themselves.

It is not a Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Alzheimer's Clinic or any other type of medical facility. It is simply Senior housing for those over age 55 with disabilities. Since it is subsidized housing, residents pay 30% of income with limits. Families look at this as a "cheap" alternative to those expensive nursing home blues. You don't come here to live, you come here to die! Life goes on...or not!

P.S. August 09, 2009 On the same day the above resident "bit the dust", yet a second one, "Gas Mask Willie" also died. Yikes.

But wait, now another named "Robert", yes, a third death was announced, that same weekend. Who needs Obama Care?

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Argue with a Liberal

OMG, arguing with a Liberal gives me a headache and drives up my blood pressure! It's as though one is trying to convince an aborigine of the existence of the atom or an atheist that God exists. Liberals closed minded thought process assumes they are correct in all their infinite wisdom and insights. Most are legends in their own minds!

Whether speaking of subjects as divers as President Obama's Health Care, deficit spending, or the war on terror, all problems stem from Republicans and Conservatives. The democratic dogma will save both the nation and mankind. This baseless spew, literally makes me ill. The flaming Liberal has been gone for thirty minutes, but my blood still boils.

Time to go to my "happy place"...the liquor store!

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

My Opinion, Not Yours!

My thoughts, rants and opinions on this blog have recently been described as incomprehensible and irrational? Did I make a mistake and post in Chinese or Cyrillic?
My life's adventures and daily views are not censored by "Politically Correctness" I had enough of that in Grad School, thank you very much. In fact I'll maintain that PC is dead, that it OK to tell it like it is, if it offends someone...they need to get a grip!

This blog is not to set Literary Standards. It is to express my opinions, which hopefully, some may find interesting, thought provoking, and yes even offensive as my slogan "I think, therefore I offend" states. Keep reading and following me on Twitter.....or not!

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Hell No, This Ain't No Hood!

I live in the "Cultural District" of Portland, Oregon. Across the street is Portland State University, a few blocks away is the Art Museum, Historical Museum, the Concert Hall, Central Library, etc. A block away is the Benson Tower Condos that start at $250,000 for a studio up to over a million dollars for a penthouse. As you can see this is hardly a ghetto or the hood, yet in the last six months pimps, hookers, drug dealers, etc. have invaded the area. While some moved into low cost apartments, most don't live here, or are friends of those who do.

Last Friday I saw two black guys about forty, dressed in their ghetto finest with fanned out bills of at least $3,000 - $5,000 each in hundred dollar bills, shuffling down the street singing "We're pimping in America", over and over. I can look out my window and even in broad daylight, can see drug deals going on. Black dudes in "Caddies" with under age young white girls..."hoes"...get picked up on the corner across the street, near the $1000/kid/mo preschool!

OK, play the race card, you liberal air heads, but the crimes are done by blacks in a mostly white neighborhood. Racist? I don't care, I don't want drug dealers, pimps, and alcoholics in front of my building. If they were green, I whine about the ghetto green guys...but they aren't...they are the stereotypical blacks who have $5,000 in cash and I don't!