Election Day

 We have to go vote tomorrow

    I shouldn't say it that way.  We have the opportunity to vote tomorrow.

    Granted, looking at the ballot there are not many contests for us to decide.  Looking at the information guide, it seems a lot of offices where 1 person is running, or no one is running.

    I guess that baffles me a bit.

    People need to run for office.  People need to vote.

    I read that in the last presidential election, 39 percent of registered voters did not vote.   That is astounding.  A privilege that thousands of men and women have died for and people don't use it.

    When we first moved to Rochelle I ran for a township commissioner spot. I filled out a questionnaire from the newspaper and said the township should be consolidated into the city.

    Needless to say, I did not win.  I think I came in 8th in an election that only had 5 candidates.

    But I did run and serve on the library board and the park district board, both times elected.  Jackie has been elected  to the library board several times but is not on the ballot this time, despite her term being up.  I think 1 person is running and there are 4 openings.  But I can't read the sample ballot because the print is small and I can't find a magnifying glass.

    But we will vote.  

    And I bet the turnout will be less than 10 percent.

    Oh well.

    I took Beth for a short walk today.  I don't think she is used to leash walking because she pulled constantly.  Lucky I am as heavy as I am or else she could have dragged me down the street.

    That's all I have.

Peace and Love

Oh my gosh

 We had a busy day today

    Jackie and I went to see Shawshank Redemption presented by  VCCT, our local theater group.

    I thought it was a really good show.  Well acted and well directed, with lots of  people we know in the cast.  All of them were great.  

    Human friend Beth joined us, and we had a few minutes to ketchup.  Get it?  Razor sharp humor, huh?

    Anyway, Jackie and I are some of the few people who have never seen the movie.  I ran into a friend the other day and he said it was his favorite movie and that he was watched it dozens of times.

    Guess I should watch it.

    We got home in time to watch the Cubs take a 6-2 lead, then give up 8 runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose the game.  That was discouraging because the bullpen is supposed to be better.  

    Yes, I realize we only did 2 things.  But it was busy.  By the time we ate and everything it got to be 8 p.m.  And yes, I could have not watched a 90 minute tv show.  And maybe I should not have, because I miss half of what is being said, even with the tv blaring.  I need the subtitles.

    The shocking happening of he day was when we went into the theater it was warm and sunny.  Then we came out the temperature had fallen about 10 degrees, it was cloudy, windy and I was damn cold. At least it was not raining.

    So ends a busy weekend.

    But every week seems to have something we have to do.  Doctor tomorrow, meeting Tuesday, vet appointment Wednesday......it's a constant whirl wind of activity lately.

    And the good folks at Cologuard said I passed the test....everything is normal.

    They are talking physically, not mentally though.

Peace and Love

Yah, yah, yah

I saw the Beatles tonight! 

    Ok, not the real ones, but a tribute band  called the Fab Four.

    They were at the Coronado in Rockford and friends Linda and Dan invited me months ago,  and truth be told I did forget until Linda reminded me.

    In a funny sort of way, Julia came up to me last night about 5:30 and asked if I was supposed to be somewhere.

    I said no.

    Everyone is painfully aware of how I screw up dates and times, and she asked if I was going to see the Liverpool Legends.

    I said I thought I was.  That's when she said it was tonight (Friday) in DeKalb, not Saturday in Rockford.

    I knew it was Saturday.  What I did not know was Liverpool Legends were playing in DeKalb on Friday!

    I got the names mixed up, but the dates right.

    The neat thing about tonight, well, one of the neat things.  They said feel free to take pictures or videos during the show.

    They also said feel free to sing along, just don't come up on stage.

    We sang, waved hands, yelled, and remembered what it was like when the lads hit the USA.  The music brought back a lot of memories and happiness.

    I just wish I had seen them back then.

    And it was great to see young people there......proving again, they made the music that will never die.

Peace and Love

The rooftop concert, their last appearance as a group

Geporge's hear comes the sun

I guess I am a dreamer too.

Sgt. Peppers

Footage of the audience at the Ed Sullivan show, I believe

I don't think I ever watched the cartoon!

A fun time was had by all

Lost???

Saying I am disorganized is an understatement 

    There are no limits to my disorganization.

    For instance:  I frequently use a magnifying glass to read stuff.....like really small print.  I guess glass is a misnomer, be cause I broke the only glass one I had and the rest are all plastic.

    If I can find them.

    At one point I had 7 (Thanks, Darci).  Now I have 1.  

    Where did they go?  

    I have one I always put in the top right drawer of my desk, except when I don't.  I have not seen that one in several days.  It replaced the one I had on a lanyard that I could hang up so I could always find it, except when I can't.

    I even got so desperate I cleaned off the top of my desk, but I did not find it.

    I am getting a little frustrated with my "habits."

    For instance, I play spider solitaire.  I am trying to limit it to 5 games a day, so I have been keeping track for a few days.

    Playing 2 suit, I have won 11 times.  Pretty good, huh?  But when you consider the 43 times I lost, it is not such a hot record.

    So I changed to 1 suit.Over 3 days I have played 9 times and won every time.

    One is too easy, 2 is too hard.

    As I was shuffling papers, I found my to do list in the yard.....from 2022!  Seriously!!

    I have done all but one thing on that list, but I still kept the list.  Good heavens.

    I think I have sorted and tossed all the lists I made about books to read, movies to see, and things to do.  I am tired of lists.

    And I am tired of being so disorganized.  

    But, my curse in life is that I am unorganized.  Always have been, always will be.

    And that's that for today.

    Hopefully the Cubs can win another out there in Arizona tonight.

Peace and Love

Play ball!!!

 The quest begins tonight in Arizona

    Will all the Cubs moves pay off in a division championship and a trip to the playoffs?  Can anyone beat the Dodgers?

    Will Matt Shaw prove adequate at 3rd base?  Will King Tuck provide the power everyone says he has?  Will PCA wow the fans with his speed and bat?

    We will find the answer to those and other pressing questions over the next 160 games and 6 months of baseball.

    I think we need baseball to take our minds off the other shit going on.  Not that we should ignore it, but everyone needs a break now and then.

    We celebrated Jackie's birthday with a cook out.

    I grilled some steaks and Jackie, Julia, Emily and I had a nice time.  The girls got her a blanket for when she is sitting in her chair and freezing.  I got her a card.  

    No, I am not insensitive...... but there is nothing I can think of that she needs.  

    In a bit of miscommunication, both girls brought desserts.  We had choices of various cheesecakes or mini bundt cakes.  And no, I did not eat both.  Yet.

    Julia got her occupancy permit yesterday, so she will be taking up residence sooner than later.  I am going to a concert Saturday night, so she is staying here until at least Sunday to be with Jackie.

    Then we will be empty nesters with a broken hearted dog.

    Speaking of broken hearted, the heart doc's office contacted me and said my test results were all within normal limits and had not changed since the last test.  I was happy to hear that.

    Now, c'mon Spring!!!  And Go Cubs!!!

Peace and Love

TMI!!!

 I am bringing up a delicate subject

    I will try to be discrete, but....... and that is a big butt.

    When I went for my yearly health check up, it was brought to my attention that I was due for a colonoscopy.

    I winced at the thought of having a camera inserted in an area where cameras don't normally go.

    Plus the preparation for an exam of that nature leaves me somewhat hesitant.

    So the good doctor also said I could opt for a Cologuard at home test which I gladly said yes too.

    Sparing you the details, the "sample" was to be sent UPS.  So I went to a local UPS drop zone at Petro and found the UPS box and put my "sample" into the box.

    I closed the lid and did not hear the box drop.  But I could not open the lid.  My sample was stuck in the drop zone.

    I told a lady working there about it and she came and did the American response to the situation.  She banged the sides of the drop box, then rocked it back and forth.  Just like we do with vending machines that don't work.

    After a few minutes she said it was really stuck and that the UPS person will "probably" check when he does the pickup.

    I can somewhat proudly state my shit plugged a UPS drop box!!

    Not a lot of people can say that.  Or would say that.  But I am not like a lot of people.

    I just hope the sample makes it to the lab on time.

    Digression.  In the Sunday Tribune there was an article in the world news section about the problems with tourism in Barcelona.  Crowded streets, apartments being bought and converted to short term rentals, thus driving locals out; littering, noise, pollution from the cruise ships.  The article even pointed out that last year residents went around squirting tourists with water pistols and telling t hem to go home.

    Over in the travel section, there was a Rick Steves article describing how great Barcelona was to visit, and pointed out the same locations the locals said were overrun with people!

    It just seemed ironic.

    Finally, I saw something that bummed me out today.  Students planted 3 trees on the west side of Tilton School when I taught there.  The hope was the trees would provide some afternoon shade for the classrooms plus make the Earth a better place.

    Well, over 25 or 30 years things change.  An addition is going on Tilton and when I passed  today I saw piles of limbs and trunks of the trees. I know progress is important and expanding Tilton is necessary.

    But I hate to see those trees go.

Peace and Love

greek to me

 I had a heart test today

    It was like an ultra sound.  I said to the technician, "Maybe there's a baby in there which is why my stomach is so big."

    She said if there was, then I was going to be a rich guy.

    I already have the results, although it is all in Greek to me.  The only thing I can see is mild regurgitation of an artery or two.

    I have had a heart murmur for years.  It is barely detectable.  In fact, once I mentioned it to a doctor and they said they didn't hear it, but they went back and did.  They said it was very minor.

    But the heart doc wanted to see if there was any deterioration since the last test.

    Got me.  Hopefully he will call and explain it in ways I can understand.

    At least there was no "get to the hospital immediately" message.  That's a blessing.

    My niece from Ohio was in visiting her mom, Ruth, in Rockford.  They came down for dinner tonight and we had a nice visit with lots of laughs.  It was a great time and we really enjoyed seeing them.

    I have the Target circle app on my phone.  Twice now I have lost out on gift cards because I did not have it set up correctly.

    I stopped at Target today because if I bought 50$ with of cleaning supplies, I got a 15$ gift card.  So I bought 3 laundry detergents and some paper towels, because you can always use laundry detergent.

    I went to the register with my phone in hand and opened the app.  Then I just gave it to the person running the checkout lane.  They hit a few buttons and my gift card was approved.

    I looked at them and said, "This is not the first time you have been helpful to me."

    And he said, "Yes, I remember you."

    They remember me because I tried to get gift cards without downloading the app, which did not work very well.  They spent several minutes with me trying to get it downloaded, but it all came to an end when it asked for the password.  

    Today all went smoothly.  I thanked them and they said they were always available to help.  I told him good, because I was always going to look for him.

    I don't know if that was taken as a warning or a compliment.

Peace and Love